The Jakarta Globe Jul 23, 2015
Bekasi/Jakarta. The death toll from an explosion at a cosmetics factory on the outskirts of Jakarta has reached 17, with 12 victims dying in hospital as a result of their injuries, police said on Thursday.
Five factory workers were immediately killed in the explosion in Bekasi, West Java on July 10. A total of 53 others were injured and immediately rushed to hospital. As of Thursday, 12 of them died due to severe injuries.
Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Rickynaldo Chairul said 17 people had died and 41 others are still being treated.
Sr. Comr. Musyafak, the head of Jakarta Police’s medical and health unit, said the injured victims were treated at several different hospitals in Jakarta and Bekasi.
He said 21 people were still in intensive care units, while 20 others had been moved to regular rooms.
“But their conditions are getting stable now,” Musyafak told reporters in Jakarta. “The critical period has passed. All of the victims treated in the ICU are now conscious.”
The victims were suffering from moderate to severe burn injuries, he said.
The cosmetics factory, which reportedly was manufacturing hair spray, is owned by Mandom Indonesia and located in the MM2100 industrial zone in Cibitung subdistrict.
Rickynaldo said a gas canister exploded in the factory, causing an inferno.
He added that police suspected negligence was a cause of the fatal accident, but were still investigating the case.
Mandom Indonesia spokesperson Alia Dewi said the company would cover all medical costs for all the victims.
“As for [each family] of the deceased, we’ve given Rp 10 million for funeral expenses and Rp 200 million in compensation. Jamsostek compensations and others will follow, according to the prevailing regulations,” she added.
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vr 24 jul 2015 - 5:26