To hide evidence.
>I accept cheques. Kek
I'm not sure. I would do something like that to make impression of accident.
Like in movies:
"Pressure rising, nothing can stop what is comming. Alarm goes off, because everyone knows whats going to happen and then Boom".
And in the end "..we done what we could, sir".
If there was basement, there could be gas pipeline and servers.
And I still think that gov would take such risk.