Two workers killed in compressor blast at plastic factory

Tifa Asrianti , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 06/02/2008 10:20 AM | City

Two people died and one was injured when a plastic compressor machine exploded in a plastic factory, CV Permata Plastic on Jl. Mutiara Raya, Tegalalur, West Jakarta, on Sunday afternoon.

The victims were 14-year-old Tedy and 30-year-old Jujun. Both were workers at the factory.

Eighth grader Tedy only worked at the factory on weekends.

After the explosion, the remains of victim's bodies were scattered, making it hard for the police forensic team to identify the bodies.

The body pieces were sent to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Central Jakarta, while the injured victim was taken immediately to Cengkareng Hospital.

"We can't be sure what caused the explosion, but the machine was probably too old or got overheated," West Jakarta Police crime division head Suyudi told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The blast also caused damage to several houses as the factory is located in a densely populated area.

Police were still questioning factory owner Ayung but had yet to name any suspects.

Ayung has 20 workers and operates his factory 24 hours a day.

Neighborhood unit head Muhammad Ikhsan said Ayung had a license to operate his factory in the area.

"The factory has been running since 1982. No one has ever complained about it," he told Elshinta radio.

Ikhsan said there were four similar factories in the area.

"This incident would make us pay closer attention to the factories," he said.

Grogol fire station officer Imron said four fire engines were deployed to the factory after the blast in anticipation of a fire, but "there was no fire at the location when three fire engines arrived," he said. (ind)

Comments (0) | Post comment

A | A | A |