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Five killed in onboard tanker explosion, forensic police investigate cause
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Fatal incident: Firefighters are on standby after extinguishing the fire caused by Thursday's explosion onboard the "Gamkonora" in Tanjung Uncang, Batam, Riau Islands. The tanker, owned by state oil and gas company Pertamina, was undergoing repairs at a dry dock when the explosion occurred. (JP/Fadli)
P
olice have dispatched a forensic team to investigate the site of Thursday's explosion aboard the Gamkonora, a tanker owned by state oil and gas company Pertamina.
A joint team from the Riau Islands Police and the Batam, Rempang and Galang (Barelang) Police is continuing their investigation into the cause of the incident. The Gamkonora, an 80-meter-long tanker, is used by Pertamina to transport crude oil.
The onboard explosion occurred while the vessel was being repaired at a dry dock belonging to PT ASL Shipyard Indonesia in Tanjung Uncang, Batam, Riau Islands. Five workers were killed when the explosion occurred in the hold they were in. They are Faisal Koto, Maliki Majidi, Nimbrot Hutagalung, Onix Saputra and Rusli Tan, who all died of severe burns.
Their bodies are being held in the morgues of Embung Fatimah Regional General Hospital (RSUD) and Bhayangkara Police Hospital. The bodies of three of the five victims are to be handed over to their families later on Friday to be laid to rest in their hometowns.
A surviving worker, Liwanten Hutagalung, is in critical condition and is undergoing treatment at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital. Liwanten is the younger brother of Nimbrot, one of the deceased victims.
The workers are all contract employees of PT SC Engineering, an ASL subcontractor.
Suparmin, a dockyard worker, said he learned of the incident from an emergency signal that rang at around 4 p.m. local time on Thursday. “A huge explosion was heard, and the danger alarm rang,” he said. (ebf)
