JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian rescuers and firefighters on Saturday looked for greater than a dozen lacking below the rubble of charred homes and buildings, after a big hearth unfold from a gas storage depot within the capital and killed a minimum of 18 individuals.
The Plumpang gas storage station, operated by state-run oil and gasoline firm Pertamina, is close to a densely populated space within the Tanah Merah neighborhood in North Jakarta. It provides 25% of Indonesia’s gas wants.
At the very least 260 firefighters and 52 hearth engines extinguished the blaze simply earlier than midnight on Friday after it tore by means of the neighborhood for greater than two hours, hearth officers mentioned.
Footage confirmed a whole bunch of individuals working in panic as thick plumes of black smoke and orange flames stuffed the sky.
A preliminary investigation confirmed the hearth broke out when a pipeline ruptured throughout heavy rain, presumably triggered by a lightning strike, mentioned Eko Kristiawan, Pertamina’s space supervisor for the western a part of Java.
Residents dwelling close to the depot mentioned they smelled a powerful odor of gasoline, inflicting some individuals to vomit, after which thunder rumbled twice, adopted by an enormous explosion round 8 p.m.
Sri Haryati, a mom of three, mentioned the hearth started to unfold about 20 minutes later, inflicting panic.
“I used to be crying and instantly grabbed our helpful paperwork and ran with my husband and youngsters,” Haryati mentioned, including that she heard smaller blasts that echoed throughout the neighborhood as orange flames jumped from the depot.
Rescuers have been trying to find 16 individuals who have been reported lacking or separated from their households amid the chaos. About 42 individuals have been receiving therapy in 5 hospitals, a few of them in crucial situation.
Nationwide Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo mentioned greater than 1,300 individuals have been displaced and taking shelter in 10 authorities workplaces, a Pink Cross command put up and a sport stadium.
He mentioned investigators have been nonetheless working to ascertain the reason for the hearth and questioning dozens of witnesses.
Pertamina’s head Nicke Widyawati apologized and mentioned the corporate would offer assist to the neighborhood and cooperate within the investigation.
“We are going to perform a radical analysis and reflection internally to forestall comparable incidents from taking place once more,” Widyawati mentioned in a press release, including that the corporate ensured the protected provide of gas oil.
On Saturday, grieving family members gathered at a police hospital’s morgue in jap Jakarta to attempt to establish their family members. Officers mentioned the victims have been burned past recognition and will solely be recognized by means of DNA and dental information.
In 2014, a fireplace on the similar gas depot engulfed a minimum of 40 homes, however no casualties have been reported.
Indonesia’s State Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir informed reporters that the federal government will remap protected zones for residential areas away from important objects.
He mentioned the incident confirmed the Plumpang space just isn’t protected for the neighborhood, and the federal government is planning to maneuver the gas storage depot to Tanjung Priok port in northern Jakarta.
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