Residents of Malon subdistrict in Gunungpati district, Semarang, Central Java, said they heard four separate bangs and saw flashes coming out of an extra high-voltage power line that Sunday morning.
olice and state-owned power company PT PLN are investigating whether an explosion below an extra high-voltage power line (sutet) in Semarang, Central Java, just before noon on Sunday, which injured two persons, had anything to do with the massive power outage in most parts of western Java and some parts of Central Java, including Greater Jakarta.
PLN had earlier explained that the blackout, which lasted more than 10 hours, was caused by technical problems and did mention anything about an explosion until Tuesday.
The National Police has dispatch its laboratory forensics team, which is supported by the Semarang Police Automatic Finger Print Identification System (INAFIS) team, to check on the reports of the explosion in Malon subdistrict, Gunungpati district.
Umi Farihatun, a resident of Malon, said she and her neighbors heard four separate bangs and saw flashes coming out of the power line cables that Sunday morning.
Some people went to check the site after the explosion but a second blast injured a neighbor, identified as 45-year Mohammad Said. He was rushed to the local health community center for treatment of burns on his feet and stomach. Another neighbor suffered minor injuries after the third explosion.
The explosions also burned the leaves on a number of trees.
Shortly afterwards, PLN staff cut down several trees that were considered too tall and too close to the power cables. Furthermore, iron fences, as well as telephone and fiber optic cables, were burned and left marks on the ground.
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