An explosion in Indonesia has claimed the lives of approximately 46 people, leaving 46 people injured, and 10 who are yet to be accounted for following the explosions at one of the fireworks factories in Indonesia.
It’s believed that the blaze started on Thursday morning at the factory next to a residential area in Tangerang, a city in Banten province on the western outskirts of Jakarta.
The fire started at around 09:00 local time (02:00 GMT), in an industrial complex in Tangerang, west of the capital Jakarta. "We are still evacuating victims… there are 46 body bags," Tangerang Kota police chief Harry Kurniawan told AFP.
Fortunately, the authorities have managed to bring the fire under control. Reports indicate that the forensic experts have also arrived at the scene and the wounded victims have been rushed to hospital for further treatment.
The police authorities have also revealed that majority of the dead persons have been found clustered at the back of the factory, implying that they were trying to escape from the flames but they could not manage to escape.
"Those who died are completely unrecognisable, totally burnt," firefighter Oni Sahroni told Indonesia's Metro TV.
The local media made a report citing the witnesses, claiming that there were two explosions at the warehouse. One is alleged to have taken place around 10:00 and another three hours later.
The first blaze is alleged to have sparked a massive fire and brought down the factory roof. The fire was so intense that it burned nearby cars. The television footage showed a lot of thick black smoke emanating from the scene.
Reports from a local government official told Metro TV that the factory had only been running for six weeks. Beni Benteng, who is one of the local resident revealed that he heard the explosion, which was followed by the cries of people in the scene.
"My friends and some police officers knocked down a wall so people could escape, then the workers came out," he told AFP.
"I saw people including women were jumping from above." Authorities are yet to find out what exactly triggered the explosions. According to Tangerang police chief Hary Kurniawan, more than 40 people were injured while others were being treated at three hospitals.
The nations TV, Indonesia's MetroTV, reported that although the factory had a permit, its proximity to a residential area was against regulations. However, the safety laws are often inconsistently enforced in Indonesia. The facilities had a capacity of more than 100 employees
