Police Find Firecrackers at Scene of Deadly Situbondo Explosion
Police are continuing to investigate a fatal explosion that destroyed a residential home in Mimbo hamlet, Sumberanyar village, Banyuputih subdistrict, Situbondo, East Java. During an initial sweep of the site, officers recovered firecracker casings strongly suspected to be the cause of the blast.
Situbondo Police Chief AKBP Bayu Anuwar Sidiqie confirmed that his team had secured several firecracker sticks from the scene. The evidence was of considerable size and is strongly believed to have triggered the explosion that claimed one life.
“The suspected cause is firecrackers or a bondet bomb. One of the items of evidence we secured consists of several firecracker sticks with a diameter of between 3 and 4 centimetres and a length of 15 centimetres. Quite long,” Bayu told reporters on Wednesday (18 February).
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon, reportedly left one person dead and six others injured. The wounded are still receiving treatment in hospital.
The deceased has been identified as Supriyadi (50). Six others sustained burns and fractures from falling debris.
Five of the injured — Samsul (22), Riko (25), Faiz (20), Fino (25) and Kulsum (60) — were rushed to Asembagus Regional Hospital. A sixth victim, Abdurrahman (15), was referred to Jember Hospital after sustaining burns covering approximately 90 per cent of his body.
“This incident has certainly hurt us all. One victim has been declared dead, and six injured persons are still being treated in hospital. Five of them are at Asembagus Hospital and one has been referred to Jember Hospital,” he said.
Bayu stated that the police received the explosion report at approximately 12.00 local time, just after the midday prayer. Officers from the local police station moved swiftly to the location in Banyuputih to secure and sterilise the area in order to preserve the crime scene.
“Regarding the chronology, at around 12.00 after the midday prayer we received information that an explosion had occurred in the Banyuputih area. The local police chief then secured the area and carried out sterilisation by setting up a police cordon,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Situbondo Police investigation team has not yet been able to conduct a full crime scene examination, as they lack the capacity for bomb or explosives disposal.
“Because we do not have bomb disposal capabilities, we have called in the Gegana unit from Bondowoso to carry out the disposal. So until now we have not been able to process the crime scene as we are awaiting sterilisation clearance,” he said.
Bayu said his team’s primary focus at present is ensuring that survivors receive optimal medical treatment. The next step will be the technical securing of the site with the involvement of the bomb disposal squad and the identification team from the East Java Regional Police.
Furthermore, Bayu urged residents to stay away from the blast area and warned the public against producing firecrackers, particularly in the lead-up to the holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.