Jakarta, IO – The nickel processing smelter belonging to PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in Morowali, Central Sulawesi was temporarily closed after the furnace exploded and caused casualties, Sunday (24/12).
The suspension was announced by PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) as the manager of the industrial park where ITSS is situated, per CNN Indonesia, Tue (26/12).
PT IMIP spokesperson Dedy Kurniawan explained that the incident took place at around 5.30am WITA. At that time, the workers were repairing the furnace and installing plates on the furnace.
Then the fire broke out and gradually spread at around 9.20am. It led to an explosion which killed 13 people to die and 46 workers injured. “The death toll consists of 9 Indonesians and 4 Chinese,” said Dedy.
Based on initial investigations, the explosion was alleged to happen because the bottom of the furnace still contained inflammable fluid. The large number of oxygen cylinders at the location made an explosion inevitable.
“There are many oxygen cylinders which are used for welding and cutting furnace components,” said Dedy.
The Industry Ministry (Kemenperin) sent a special team to handle work accidents. The team is tasked with investigating the cause of the accident so that it can be used as material for the company’s evaluation.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also responded to this incident because the company belongs to a Chinese businessman Xiang Guangda.
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Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia has activated emergency response procedures for the work accident, per Indonesia’s Antara news agency.
“We have instructed the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia to immediately verify the situation and handle the accident,” she said. “The embassy has contacted relevant parties to take steps to rescue and treat the injured.” (un)