Laundry Business Premises Explode in Patehan, Kraton, Yogyakarta

A loud explosion occurred at a laundry business in Patehan, Kraton, Yogyakarta City. The blast was heard at Keputran 2 Primary School, about 25 metres from the scene.

“It was around 9.10am. The explosion was extremely loud, extraordinary — like a bomb, basically. I thought it was a gas cylinder, because it is right next to my place,” eyewitness Agus Royani said at the scene on Thursday (22 October).

News of the explosion was posted by the Instagram account @merapi_umcover. The post showed the laundry premises badly damaged.

“[Breaking News] At 9.29 an explosion occurred at a laundry in the Kadipaten area; the cylinder was thrown as far as Keputran 2 Primary School,” the account wrote, as quoted by detikJogja.

Agus said the blast caused a powerful shockwave that damaged parts of nearby buildings. The bathroom window at his premises shattered, while the force of the explosion pushed open his front door.

“My door opened. The nails came loose because the explosion was so loud. How could it get past the lock? That’s how powerful it was,” he said.

Agus said debris from the blast was scattered across the surrounding area. Building materials, including corrugated metal sheets, were reportedly sent flying.

“All the debris was flying everywhere. It reached the area around the school, about 25 metres away,” he said.

He suspected the explosion came from a clothes-drying machine that uses gas for heating. The exact cause has not been established.

“The heater uses a gas cylinder. The laundry dries the clothes using gas. So that’s what I think happened,” Agus said.

Agus also said a woman was minding the laundry business at the time. The blast reportedly threw her outside, and she appeared to have sustained minor injuries.

“That woman was thrown outside. It looked like she had minor injuries, nothing serious. But her clothes were somewhat damaged and torn,” he said.