Three West Bandung Residents Killed in Suspected Mortar Shell Explosion

An explosion, believed to be from a mortar shell, occurred in Kampung Ciparang RT 04, RW 07, Cipatat Village, Cipatat District, West Bandung Regency, West Java, on Wednesday (8/7/2026). Three residents were reported dead in the incident.

Cipatat Police Chief, Kompol D.M.S Andriani Sapin, confirmed the incident. "It is true there was an explosion of an 81mm mortar shell around 10.30 WIB. Three people died," he said.

Police have inspected the location. The explosion was discovered after a resident heard a blast near the home of one of the victims, Ade (21). Upon checking together, they found three victims lying on the ground. Besides Ade, the other victims were Suhri (40) and Rodiana (40).

"A witness heard an explosion coming from the victim’s house. Shortly after, another witness arrived and reported that residents had been hit by an explosion. The witness then went to the victim’s house and found three people already lying there," Andriani explained.

Two victims, Suhri and Ade, died at the scene. The third victim, Rodiana, was initially evacuated by residents to Rajamandala Community Health Centre before being referred to Dustria Hospital, where she was pronounced dead in the afternoon.

"Two people died at the scene, named Ade and Suhri, and one person was seriously injured. Rodiana died at Dustria Hospital at 5.25 p.m. WIB," Andriani stated.

According to witness accounts, local residents, including the three victims, were accustomed to collecting spent ammunition casings from training exercises. "What the community often collected were bullet casings and projectiles. However, spent mortar rounds were never taken," Andriani noted.

Police have cordoned off the scene for further investigation. The Inafis (Automatic Fingerprint Identification System) and bomb disposal teams have been deployed to ensure the area is sterilised of any remaining explosive materials.