Residents were digging through the charred rubble of their homes on Saturday after a deadly fire at a fuel depot in Jakarta that killed at least 18 people, including two children, and prompted the Indonesian government to call for an investigation.
The state company Pertamina, which controls the majority of fuel and energy distribution in the country, and owner of the depot, presented its “deep apologies” for this “unexpected accident”, through the voice of its director Nicke Widyawati, during a televised press conference.
At least three people are still missing, national police chief Listyo Sigit said on Saturday, who went to the scene the day after the tragedy at the Plumpang depot, in the north of the capital Jakarta.
About 60 people were also injured, according to Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, who also made the trip. Thirty-five of them are badly burned.
He suggested to the press that the depot should be moved away from residential areas: “I hope that this depot can be moved…so that it is safer and that this area will be reorganized in such a way as to meet the requirements of a decent part of the capital”.
According to the national police chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the fire occurred when fuel that had just arrived from a refinery was being unloaded.
“There was a technical problem which caused an excess of pressure, and that’s when the fire started. We are investigating the exact source of the fire,” he explained.
“It started with a very strong smell. So strong that you could hardly breathe,” a witness Swastono Aji told AFP. “We were leaving when we suddenly heard a very loud explosion.”
Members of the government have called for an investigation to determine the cause of the accident as well as an audit of the country’s energy infrastructure after several fires in recent years.
“I have ordered Pertamina to investigate this matter immediately and we are now focusing on helping the population. There must be operational control in the future,” Minister Erick Thohir wrote on Instagram late Friday. in charge of public enterprises.
“After several fires (…), it is clear that we must control all the oil installations and the infrastructures, in particular the tanks and the refineries”, abounded on Saturday Sugeng Suparwoto, chairman of the energy committee of the Parliament , on the Metro TV channel.
In 2021, a huge fire had in particular ignited the Pertamina refinery in Balongan (west of the island of Java), one of the largest in the country.
In Plumpang on Saturday, the houses near the place of the fire were gutted and blackened. Further on, entire rows of cars were charred.
“It was like a bomb, like a mini apocalypse. It was unimaginable,” said Jamilul Asror, 45, saying the depot was “far too close” to homes.
Television footage showed people fleeing screaming through narrow streets on Friday night and, behind them, gigantic flames rising skyward.
A ball of fire was then visible in the sky of North Jakarta, with in the background the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks trying to make their way to the depot.
The army and Pertamina said they were investigating to determine the cause of the tragedy.
Jakarta Fire Chief Satriadi Gunawan said he had received preliminary information that a pipe at the facility had burst.
The fuel supply was not interrupted, other terminals having taken over, said Nicke Widyawati, general manager of Pertamina.
Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono said the government would pay for the treatment of the injured, many of whom were still hospitalized on Saturday.
The North Jakarta Red Cross reported that 342 people had been evacuated and it had pitched four tents to accommodate the displaced.
“I can’t go back home because my house is completely destroyed,” said Linda, who was only able to pack a few clothes before fleeing with her child and the rest of her family.
“I don’t know where to go now,” she told Metro TV.
04/03/2023 15:31:23 – Jakarta (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
