TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Government to take legal action against drillers of illegal oil well after fire
The government plans to take legal actions against parties responsible for an oil well fire in Aceh on Wednesday morning.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Fatal accident: Fire shoots out of an illegal oil well in Pasi Puteh village, Aceh, on April 25. Ten people were reportedly killed in the incident and dozens were injured. (Antara/Maulana)
T
he government plans to take legal actions against parties responsible for an oil well fire in Aceh on Wednesday morning, said Energy and Mineral Resources Minister spokesman Agung Pribadi.
Ten people were killed in the blaze, which occurred in Pasir Putih village, Ranto Peureulak subdistrict, East Aceh.
“This is an illegal [well]. So, we will take legal action in collaboration with the local law enforcement,” Agung told journalists on Wednesday.
The illegal, 250-meters-deep oil well had been drilled on land belonging to state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.
The ministry’s oil and gas directorate general and Pertamina have sent a team to Pasar Putih to investigate the incident, Agung said.
At the time of writing, firefighters have still been unable to extinguish the fire.
This is the second incident this month involving crude oil that has triggered an environmental disaster.
On March 31, around 40,000 barrels of Pertamina crude oil leaded from one of the company’s underwater pipelines in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, causing a fire that killed five fishermen and prompted authorities to declare an emergency status. (ebf)
