Second Victim Found in Grand Polonia Medan Explosion

A joint search and rescue team has recovered a second victim from the site of a massive explosion at a luxury home in the Grand Polonia housing complex, Medan Polonia District, Medan City. The female victim was found dead, buried under the collapsed building materials.

Medan City Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Jean Calvijn Simanjuntak, stated the victim was discovered on Tuesday (21/7) at approximately 3:45 PM local time. She was located on the second floor of the house, which was destroyed by the blast.

“Thank God, today at 3:45 PM, the joint team found another of the three victims who were still being searched for during the evacuation process at the scene on the second floor,” said Senior Commissioner Jean Calvijn on Tuesday.

Authorities have not yet been able to confirm the identity of the newly discovered victim. The body was immediately evacuated to Columbia Asia Hospital in Medan for identification before being handed over to the family. “The second victim has just been found. But I cannot yet determine whether this second victim is the domestic worker or the babysitter,” he stated.

Earlier, the joint SAR team had found another victim in the early hours of Tuesday at around 2:20 AM. The victim was identified as Jesika, the wife of the homeowner. She was found dead beneath the building debris. “Earlier at dawn, around 2:20 AM, the team also found one victim. I say with all humility that it was the wife of the homeowner,” he said.

With the discovery of these two victims, officers continued their efforts into Tuesday afternoon to locate the final missing person, who is also believed to be on the second floor. According to information received by the evacuation team, the last victim’s position is not far from where the second body was found.

“There is one more victim on the second floor, and the information suggests the location is not far from the point where the second victim was found,” he explained.

The large explosion occurred at house number 3B in the Grand Polonia housing complex on Monday (20/7) at around 3:30 PM local time. The force of the blast caused severe damage to the three-storey house, leading to the collapse of most of the building’s structure. In addition to destroying the house at the epicentre of the explosion, the debris also crushed three cars parked in front of the property. Several houses to the left, right, and front of the site also sustained damage from the powerful blast wave.

The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation by the police and relevant teams. However, initial findings point towards a suspected gas leak from an underground pipe network in the area.