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.