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North Sumatra fire fatalities allegedly locked inside factory: Police
Among the 30 fatalities, three were children who had accompanied their mothers to work.
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Part of gutted lighter factor in Binjai, Langkat regency, North Sumatra, on June 21, 2019. Thirty people, including three children, died in the fire. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)
T
wenty-five adults and five children who died in a fire at a lighter factory in Binjai district in Langkat regency, North Sumatra, had apparently been unable to flee the blaze. The police suspect they had been locked inside when the fire broke out at noon on Friday.
“All of the victims were trapped inside the factory. There was no way out and we suspect they were locked inside,” Binjai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Nugroho Tri Nurhayoto said.
The 30 bodies have been recovered from the site and sent to the Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Medan for autopsies.
Among the 30 casualties, five were children who had accompanied their mothers to work.
The police are investigating the cause of the deadly fire.
A witness reported that he had heard a blast from the factory, followed by a blazing fire that consumed the building.
Five fire trucks were deployed to extinguish the fire, but as the factory was located on a narrow alley, the firefighting efforts were hampered. (gis)
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include a clarification on the number of underage deaths.
