JP/5/BLAST

JP/5/BLAST

Grenade explodes in Wajo, one dead and two injured

Andi Hajramurni
The Jakarta Post/Makassar

A hand grenade exploded on Monday morning in Wajo regency, South
Sulawesi province, killing one person and injuring two others.

The incident happened as Samin, 17, a resident of Awo
subdistrict, Wajo regency, was playing with the grenade with his
brother Sapri, 15. Samin and Sapri were apparently unaware that
the grenade was still live.

As they tossed the grenade from one to another, it exploded.
Shrapnel hit Sapri and Samin, and also Musliadi, 25, a neighbor
who was standing near them.

Samin died on the spot. The two other victims, who were both
badly injured, were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical
treatment.

First. Brig. Cincung, a police officer in Wajo regency, said
that the grenade had been found by Sahabuddin, the father of the
two teenagers, one month ago in a plantation belonging to the
Sahabuddin family. Sahabuddin kept the grenade at home, but a
month later Samin found it and started played with it with his
brother Sapri without the consent of Sahabuddin.

The police officer said that either Sapri or Samin could have
dislodged the pin accidentally, causing the grenade to explode.

South Sulawesi Provincial Police chief Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf
said in Makassar that a team of police officers had been
dispatched to the scene to investigate the incident.

"The team would find out where the grenade was produced, how
old it is and its specifications," said Saleh.

Wajo regency is some 280 kilometers north of Makassar, the
capital of South Sulawesi province.