An Indonesian state energy company, Pertamina have apologised for a fire at a gasoline storage depot in Jakarta that it claimed killed at least 18 people, including two children, residents combed through the wreckage of their burned-out homes.
After a fire broke out at Pertamina’s Plumpang depot in north Jakarta on Friday night, dozens of others were also hurt, and authorities reported that three people were still missing. An assessment of ‘all petroleum facilities and infrastructures’ in Indonesia was requested by officials on Saturday.
The company in charge of the majority of Indonesia’s gasoline and energy delivery, Pertamina, issued a formal apology for the fire.
‘The management and I would like to convey our deepest apology for this incident. None of us expected this incident to happen,’ Nicke Widyawati, Pertamina’s director, told a televised news conference.
Thirty-five people were still being treated, with many suffering severe burns, while more than 1,300 people living in residential areas near the depot had to be evacuated. The death toll had risen by one during the day.
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‘What I saw was smoke travelling from the left to the right, about 10 minutes later there was an explosion and the fire spread catching the houses,’ witness Selamet, who like many Indonesians only has one name, told reporters.
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin visited the scene on Saturday and suggested the depot should be moved away from residential neighbourhoods.
‘I hope this depot can be relocated… so it will be safer and this area will be rearranged so it meets the requirements of a proper neighbourhood in the capital,’ he told reporters.
National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the fire happened while fuel that had just arrived from another refinery was being reloaded.
‘There was a technical disruption that caused excessive pressure and, after that, the fire happened. The source of the fire is currently being investigated,’ he said.
Top officials have called for a probe into the fire’s cause and an audit of Indonesia’s energy facilities after several recent blazes.