Indonesia: at least 17 dead in the fire of a fuel depot
Sylvie Claire / March 4, 2023
At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured Friday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta in a fire at a state-run fuel depot that firefighters managed to bring under control, authorities said.
An investigation is underway to determine the origin of this disaster which occurred after 20:00 local time in facilities of the national oil company Pertamina, said in front of the press the chief of staff of the armed forces Dudung Abdurachman.
At least 17 people are dead and 50 injured, the Jakarta Fire Department said on Twitter.
The fire, which was extinguished within hours, led to the evacuation of densely populated neighborhoods near the depot, located in the north of the city, according to authorities.
Television images showed people fleeing through narrow streets with huge flames rising into the sky behind them.
Fire chief Satriadi Gunawan of the north of the capital told AFP that he had received preliminary information that a pipe had burst in the depot.
He said his men, more than 250 in total, quickly responded to contain the fire at the Plumpang depot and prevent it from reaching nearby residential areas.
The managing director of the national oil company Pertamina, Nicke Widyawati, pledged to carry out "a thorough internal study to prevent a similar accident from happening again ».
It said that the country's fuel supply had not been affected, with other terminals taking over.