Two die, 55 wounded as fire engulfs chemical plant<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Gresik\/Surabaya<\/p>\n
At least two persons were killed and more than 50 others seriously
\ninjured after a raging fire gutted a petrochemical plant near the
\nnation's second-biggest city of Surabaya on Tuesday, police said.<\/p>\n
The dead man were identified as Abdul Tahir, 44, and Syamsi, 48.<\/p>\n
They were among at least 56 victims, mostly with burns, who had
\nto be hospitalized after the fire engulfed several chemical tanks
\nat the PT Petro Widodo premises in the Gresik regency of East
\nJava. Petro Widodo is a subsidiary of PT Petrokimia Gresik.<\/p>\n
Other victims were being treated at Semen Gresik Hospital and
\nPetrokimia Gresik Hospital.<\/p>\n
Senja Setiaka, a paramedic at Dr. Soetomo Hospital who was
\ntreating at least 20 patients, said many were covered in burns.<\/p>\n
At least six patients were seriously injured, with up 70
\npercent of their bodies burned. They were Subiyanto, 36,
\nMuhtarom, 42, Abdul Hafiz, 25, Kusmiati, 35, Muhtarom, 45, Zaenal
\nArifin, 32, Sudaryo, 23, and Didik Triyono, 32.<\/p>\n
\"Their conditions are very serious,\" Senja said.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post observed the 20 wounded were all unconscious.
\nTheir burns had not yet been dressed and their bodies were
\ncovered only with blankets.<\/p>\n
Hospital deputy director Oerip Murtejo said his hospital
\nwould treat the patients with the greatest of care. All their
\nmedical costs would be covered by PT Petro Widodo, he said.<\/p>\n
Surabaya Police chief Sr. Comr. Ade Raharja said the fire
\nstarted at around 4:30 p.m. Police did not yet know what caused
\nthe apparent accident.<\/p>\n
\"We are continuing to search for more victims and the cause of
\nthe fire,\" Ade said.<\/p>\n
Kasmolan Bashar, a witness who works about 10 meters from the
\nPetro Widodo premises, said he heard two loud explosions before
\nthe fire from the vicinity of the chemical tanks.<\/p>\n
At that time he saw many workers fleeing from the compound.
\nMinutes later about a ton of iron flew some 500 meters from one
\nof the exploded tanks, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The iron damaged the wall of my company. The window seven
\nmeters from where the iron hit was also shattered,\" Kasmolan
\nadded.<\/p>\n
He believed some Petro Widodo workers had been trapped in the
\ncompound by the blaze. The firm employed about 300 workers at the
\ntime of the accident.<\/p>\n
By Tuesday evening efforts by firefighters using water jets
\nappeared to be ineffective and the fire was spreading further
\ninto the compound.<\/p>\n
Dozens of fire trucks were at the scene and the main road
\noutside the factory, which is lined by cement and chemical
\nfactories, had been sealed off.<\/p>\n
Further away, a thick chemical smoke from the fire was seen
\nblanketing parts of Gresik and Surabaya, which nearby residents
\nsaid was hurting their eyes.<\/p>\n
Journalists were banned from approaching the scene without
\nwearing masks because they were told the smoke contained
\nhazardous poisons.<\/p>\n
However, those masked who approached the compound still
\ncomplained of headaches and stomach aches.<\/p>\n
\"Despite containing chemical substances, it (the gas) will not
\nharm local people. It is only dangerous if it's inhaled from a
\ncertain distance,\" Kasmolan, a spokesman for PT Petrokimia Gresik
\nPriyanto, said.<\/p>\n
He did not specify what that distance was.<\/p>\n
Kasmolan said the fire was the second in the company after an
\naccident in 1996 that killed one worker and seriously injured 10
\nothers.<\/p>\n
\"But the fire of this time is more serious because it has
\nengulfed almost 90 percent of the compound,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Petrokimia is one of Indonesia's biggest petrochemical groups
\nand is mostly government-owned.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-die-55-wounded-as-fire-engulfs-chemical-plant-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}