Dynamite blast shocks villagers

TANGERANG (JP): A stick of dynamite, the size of a battery, exploded on Monday evening in the backyard of a resident's home in Dongkal village, Cipondoh Indah subdistrict, without causing any fatalities, a police officer said.

"The explosion took place on the lawn of the home of Muhali at 8 p.m. and could be heard one kilometer away. It shattered windows and cracked walls," Cipondoh Police chief of detectives First Lt. Zulkifli told reporters.

"The dynamite was brought home by Muhali's son Antoni and his friend Buhari, after a camping trip in Bogor on Sunday. Antoni threw it on the lawn, unaware that it might explode," he added.

It exploded when it was thrown on the ground again on Monday evening, causing neighbors to panic. The explosion attracted a large crowd to see what was happening.

Antoni and Buhari admitted to police that they did not know the rocket-shaped object with a metal cap was dynamite.

"We took it from a mountain with limestone deposits. We didn't know it could explode," they told the police.

The dynamite was believed to have been left behind by limestone miners. It apparently did not explode when the miners activated it. (41/nvn)