Police Secure Scrap Metal Yard Blast Site in Belitung

The Bomb Disposal Unit (Jibom) of Battalion B, Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) of the Bangka Belitung Islands Regional Police (Polda Babel) secured the site of an explosion at a scrap metal collection yard on Jalan Padat Karya, Air Merbau village, Tanjungpandan, Belitung regency, on Sunday (25 October). The operation was intended to investigate the cause of the blast and guard against further danger.

Belitung Police Chief AKBP Satria Darma said the Jibom team had been deployed to ensure the crime scene was safe. The explosion left a scrap dealer seriously injured.

“We have enlisted the Bomb Disposal Unit of Battalion B, Brimob, Polda Babel, to investigate the cause of the explosion, which left one person seriously injured,” Satria said while visiting the site on Sunday, as reported by Antara.

Police received a report of the explosion at about 4pm local time on Sunday (25 October). Belitung Police officers who arrived at the scene evacuated the victim to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.

After the evacuation, police cordoned off the area and coordinated with Polda Babel’s Brimob unit to secure it.

“The Jibom unit of Polda Babel’s Brimob is now at the site to secure the crime scene. We are awaiting the official examination results to establish the source and exact cause of the explosion,” Satria said.

Initial findings suggest the explosion may have been triggered by a piece of scrap iron that the victim was weighing or cutting.

“There is a suspicion that an item of scrap iron collected by the victim exploded while it was being weighed or cut. However, we will have to wait for a thorough crime-scene examination by the Jibom unit to be certain,” he added.

Satria said the police’s priority was to search the entire yard to ensure no other hazardous objects had gone undetected.

“The most important thing now is to ensure there is no secondary device or risk of another explosion at the site. We do not want another crime scene or explosion because of inadequate precautions,” Satria stressed.

Following the incident, Belitung Police urged the public, particularly scrap dealers and metal collectors, to exercise greater caution. Police asked residents to report any suspicious objects resembling explosives or leftover wartime ammunition.