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Female workers and their children among dead in North Sumatra factory blast
With poor monitoring of workplace safety in factories in the country, deadly accidents are a frequent occurrence and workers are often trapped inside well-secured premises.
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A part of razed lighter factor in Binjai, Langkat regency North Sumatra on June 21, 2019. As many as 30 people, including three children, died in the fire. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)
F
ire engulfed a cigarette lighter factory in Sambirejo village, Langkat regency, North Sumatra, on Friday, leaving 30 people dead including five children.
Most of the victims were female factory workers who lived near the location, some of them had brought their children to work.
All the bodies were taken to the Bhayangkara Hospital on Jl. Wahid Hasyim, Medan, for autopsies. Relatives have gathered at the factory to identify the victims.
Langkat Disaster and Mitigation Agency (BPBD Langkat) head Irwan Sahri identified one of the victims as a worker named Yunita Sari, 30, from Sambirejo, who had worked at the factory for several years. She was burned to death along with her two daughters — Pinja Farisa, 10, and Runisa Syakila, 2. Another victim has been identified only as Desi who reportedly died along with her two sons, their ages are not known.
“The mother [Yunita] and her daughters were found dead at the location. Until now, we’ve found a total of 30 bodies,” Irwan told The Jakarta Post at the location of the accident.
He added that all of the victims were found piled up in one of the factory’s rooms. He suspected that they were trapped in the room when the fire broke out.
Sambirejo is an hour’s drive from Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra.
