Fatal explosion at Serpong absolutely accidental: Police
JAKARTA (JP): Police said yesterday that there were absolutely no indications that last month's fatal explosion in a building at the National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan) complex in Serpong was the result of sabotage.
"Based on our investigation, the questioning of eyewitnesses, on-the-spot observation and laboratory examinations, we found that the blast was purely accidental, and not sabotage," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. K. Ratta told a press meeting yesterday.
The one-star general said that the explosion occurred when a flammable gas leak from an old container was ignited by a burning cigarette butt thrown away by a staff member.
The explosion at the Batan Research Center for Reactor Salvation Technology at 1 p.m. on Aug. 31 killed an agency staff member and slightly injured another worker.
Petrochemical
According to Ratta, staff member Waluyo, 39, was smoking while supervising Supriyanto, 26, a laborer who was painting the upper segment of a wall at the building, which contained petrochemical substances and equipment at the time of the accident.
Sparks from Waluyo's cigarette ignited a highly flammable gas called ethyl methyl ketone peroxide, which was leaking from a damaged container.
Waluyo suffered a critical facial wound and died on the way to the hospital. Supriyanto suffered minor burns to his body. He was admitted to a Tangerang hospital for treatment and later released.
Ratta said the fumes of ethyl methyl ketone peroxide are more flammable than those of pure gasoline.
The Batan research center is located, along with the laboratories and research centers of other related institutions, at the Science and Technology Research Center (Puspitek) complex in Serpong, 30 kilometers southwest of the city.
Ratta said that fortunately the blast site was quite far from the nuclear reactor at the complex.
There have been no radiation leaks reported in the wake of the explosion.
Batan is the state-owned agency which administers the nuclear research laboratory, along with the 30 megawatt research reactor, provided by Siemens AG of Germany.
Two days after the explosion, Batan Director General Djali Ahimsa had told reporters that he could not yet rule out the possibility of sabotage being behind the explosion.
Although he refused to go into detail concerning his suspicions, observers believed that Djali was referring to a number of non-governmental organizations which are strongly protesting the government's plan to establish Indonesia's first nuclear power plant in the Muria peninsula, Central Java.
The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi), a non-governmental organization, has demanded that the government thoroughly inspect the extent of the damage and determine whether the blast caused radiation leaks.
In order to avoid similar accidents in the future, the National Police Headquarters has asked Batan to improve safety management at the complex and to periodically monitor the enforcement of safety regulations at the center.
"We have urged Batan to pay greater attention to the safety of the workers and the complex as well," Ratta said. (bsr)