18 dead in Jakarta fuel depot blast

Residents walk though the rubble at a neighborhood affected by the fuel depot fire in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, Pic/AP

A large fire broke out at a fuel storage depot in Indonesia's capital at 8 pm on Friday, killing at least 18 people, injuring dozens of others and forcing the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents after spreading to their neighbourhood, and having 16 missing, officials said. The Plumpang fuel storage station, operated by state-run oil and gas company Pertamina, is near a densely populated area in the Tanah Merah neighbourhood in North Jakarta. It supplies 25 per cent of Indonesia's fuel needs. At least 260 firefighters and 52 fire engines were struggling to contain the blaze in the nearby neighbourhood, fire officials said.

Also Read: Indonesia: 10 killed in riots in Papua Province amid 'child kidnapping' reports

Video of the fire broadcast on television showed hundreds of people in the community running in panic while thick plumes of black smoke and orange flames filled the sky and firefighters battled the blaze. A preliminary investigation showed the fire broke out when a pipeline ruptured during heavy rain, possibly from a lightning strike, said Eko Kristiawan, Pertamina's area manager. He said the fire would not disrupt the country's fuel supply. Satriadi Gunawan, who heads Jakarta's fire and rescue department, said, "people living in the residential area were evacuated and were being taken to a nearby village hall and a mosque".

"The fire caused several explosions and quickly spread to residential houses," Gunawan said. Rescuers continued searching for 16 people who were reported missing or separated from their families amid the chaos. About 49 people were receiving treatment for severe burns in five hospitals, some of them in critical condition. Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono said about 600 displaced people were being taken to temporary shelters at government offices, a Red Cross command post and a sport stadium.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever