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Police question Banten officials on fireworks blaze
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Officers search for bodies of workers killed in a deadly blast in a fireworks factory in Kosambi, Tangerang, on Oct. 26 (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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akarta Police have begun questioning officials from the Banten Manpower Agency in connection with the deadly inferno in Kosambi, Tangerang, in Banten two weeks ago that killed at least 48 out of 103 workers.
Poor monitoring from authorities allowed the company to deal with highly explosive materials on a site that was originally designed as a warehouse and had only one exit.
Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said the interrogation would focus on seeking information related to underage workers reportedly employed by PT Panca Buana Cahaya Sukses, which operated the factory.
“We are questioning officials from the agency. We’ll delve information from workers,” Argo told reporters at Jakarta Police headquarters on Monday.
Argo said the police would later question criminal experts as witnesses before submitting a case dossier to the Prosecutor’s Office, kompas.com reported.
The police named Subarna Ega, a welding equipment operator believed to have triggered sparks that struck fireworks material in the factory, as a suspect, along with Indra Liyono and Andri Hartanto, the company’s owner and operational director respectively.
They have been charged with negligence that caused deaths and could face five years in prison.
Subarna’s fate and whereabouts, however, remain unknown. (fac)
