Indonesia Police Question 14 People after Fuel Depot Fire

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A joint team of personnel brought in 14 persons for questioning in connection with the fire outbreak at a fuel storage depot of Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina in North Jakarta last week.

The joint team comprises members from the Criminal Investigation Agency of the National Police and the Greater Jakarta Area Police Department.

"There are 14 people who have been brought in for questioning," the head of the public information bureau of the public relations division of the National Police Brigadier General Ahmad Ramadhan said at the National Police Headquarters on Monday, March, 6.

Of the 14 people, nine are Pertamina staff comprising operators, security personnel, technicians, and supervisors, and the remaining five are civilians, he said.

Also read: Indonesia’s Pertamina Oil Pipeline Explosion Kills At Least 13, Injures 29

Currently, the police, the national defense force, and other relevant stakeholders are searching for missing victims, he said. The police force has deployed some heavy equipment as well as police dogs to support the search process.

It has also established a public kitchen and medical posts, and sent medical personnel to assist the victims of the fire, he added.

"We also dispatched a trauma healing team. This trauma healing team [included] policewomen and National Red Cross [volunteers who will assist] children who are victims of the Plumpang Pertamina Depot fire," he said.

The police have also dispatched personnel to keep watch on homes abandoned by the victims, to protect their assets from getting looted, he said.

"Certainly, to secure the assets, which are not damaged yet or still intact. Protecting them from the risk of unwanted things," he added.

The fire at the Plumpang Pertamina Depot in North Jakarta broke out around 8 p.m. local time on March 3. It was extinguished by around 11 p.m. local time.

The Jakarta Fire and Rescue Department dispatched 52 fire trucks and at least 250 personnel to put out the fire.

At least 19 people died in the incident, comprising 14 adults and five children. Three children have been reported as still missing following the fire.

Source: State News Antara