At least 47 dead in Indonesia explosion
TANGERANG, INDONESIA : An explosion and fire at a fireworks factory near the Indonesian capital on Thursday killed at least 47 people, most of them female workers, and injured dozens, police said.
Witnesses said a huge explosion was heard from the factory at about 10 am and then smaller blasts echoed across the neighbourhood as orange flames jumped from the building and a column of black smoke billowed from it.
Hary Kurniawan, chief of police in the Jakarta satellite city of Tangerang, said all the bodies recovered so far were found in the remains of the factory and a search of the building is continuing.
The death toll could rise as many of those who escaped have suffered extensive burns, said Nico Afinta, general crimes director at Jakarta police. He said the factory had more than 100 employees.
“The fire began with a strong explosion like a bomb,” Benny, a Tangerang resident who goes by one name, told MetroTV.
He said he saw police and residents smash through a factory wall to help workers out. Some victims were burning as they ran.
A worker who escaped the fire said the factory’s staff was mostly women employed on a casual basis. Mumum, who goes by one name, told Indonesia’s TVOne she started working at the factory a few weeks ago and was paid 40,000 rupiah ($3) a day. “I lost so many friends. I couldn’t help. Everybody just ran for safety,” she said, weeping. The factory is located next to a residential area in Tangerang, a city in Banten province on the western outskirts of Jakarta.