Man found dead after inhaling poisonous gas

JAKARTA (JP): A man was found dead in an underground gasoline tank at a public gas station on Jl. Meruya Ilir in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, early yesterday morning.

Police are still investigating the death of Abdul Hanan, 38. Initial police reports assumed that he died after inhaling poisonous gas, the volume of which was dangerously high in the tank.

One of Abdul's neighbors, Asmawi, quoted witnesses as saying that the victim was trapped in the three-meter deep tank for about five hours before members of a special police unit arrived at the scene and brought his body to the surface.

According to Asmawi, Abdul was temporarily hired by the gas station's owner, Silalahi. Abdul was believed to have climbed down the tank at around midnight to clean up the almost empty tank.

He was followed by Wahid, one of Silalahi's employees.

"Less than a minute after Wahid went down, Wahid screamed for help and shouted hot, hot, hot," said Asmawi.

Employees of the gas station raced to the scene to lift a weak Wahid out of the tank. Abdul, they said, had fainted and was immersed ankle-deep in gasoline.

"When they went to rescue Abdul, they found the ladder had broken in two," said Asmawi.

According to the employees, Abdul did not respond when they called his name.

Abdul's body was brought to the surface by the police special unit, who arrived at the scene about five hours later.

Wearing oxygen masks and armed with special equipment, the police personnel entered the tank and raised Abdul to the surface. He was already dead.

Severe burns covered Abdul's body, who was still fully clothed.

Abdul's body was then rushed to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta for a postmortem while Wahid was admitted to Sumber Waras Hospital in Grogol for medical treatment.

The station's owner, Silalahi, was immediately taken by local police for interrogation.

Asmawi said that Abdul was a construction worker.

"He accepted Silalahi's offer as he had been unemployed for months and agreed to be paid Rp 30,000 (US$7.50) for the job," he added.

Asmawi deplored Silalahi's decision to employ people to clean the tank.

The tank, although empty, was believed to contain poisonous gas which could be fatal if inhaled without the use of an oxygen mask or special protection.

"He should have known it was dangerous. They previously used a machine to clean the tank, but they said that had broken down recently," he said.

Abdul moved to Jakarta three years ago from Cirebon in West Java where his family still resides.

According to Asmawi, Abdul was a quiet man and spent most of his time in the mosque near the gas station. (04)