At least 15 killed, 40 injured in illegal Indonesia oil well fire

April 25, 2018 | 17:33
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At least 15 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a huge blaze at an illegal oil well in Indonesia, authorities said on Wednesday (Apr 25).
at least 15 killed 40 injured in illegal indonesia oil well fire
Firefighters work near the site of a fire at an oil well in Peureulak, Indonesia's Aceh province on Apr 25, 2018. (Photo: AFP / ILYAS ISMAIL)

Flames towered over houses and trees as firefighters hosed down the area while villagers looked on, pictures posted on social media by Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, showed.

"We are still collecting data on the number of victims because the fire has not been extinguished," the agency said in a statement.

The fire had broken out about 1.30am (2.30am, Singapore time) in a residential area on Sumatra island's Aceh province, after a well of depth 250 metres (820 ft) overflowed and residents gathered to collect the oil.

Dozens of people were taken to hospital in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, several hours away, the agency said, adding that state oil firm Pertamina was providing equipment to help fight the fire.

"There was a group of people digging in the old well but suddenly a huge fire was sparked and it exploded," said national police spokesman Setyo Wasisto.

Police said the victims were collecting oil from around the entrance of a wellbore when the blaze erupted.

At least eight fire trucks had been deployed to douse the blaze.

The head of police in the area said the oil well might have been drilled illegally and the fire might have been started when someone was smoking a cigarette.

"We suspect this is a well drilled by the community ... and we suspect there was someone smoking in the area at the time," said police official Wahyu Kuncoro.

"There were many people there who were smoking," police spokesman Wasisto added.

"It's a village so many were scrambling to get oil and it was crowded," he said.

East Aceh is dotted with numerous small-scale oil mining operations, which are often run illegally by local villagers.

Although authorities said the operation was illegal, deadly fires are not uncommon in Indonesia, a sprawling country of more than 260 million people where safety regulations are often flouted.

In October, 47 people died after a blaze tore through a fireworks factory outside Jakarta.

Workplace safety is often lacking in Indonesia and there are also concerns about lax building standards.

This year, Jakarta temporarily halted all elevated transportation projects after a dozen major accidents killed five and wounded dozens more.

That directive followed a balcony collapse at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building which injured dozens.

AFP

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