The account of her victims explosion at a Chinese nickel processing plant yesterday Sunday at Indonesia became heavier, reaching 18 dead, a police officer said today, also speaking of thirty wounded who continue to be treated.
“The number of victims who died increased by five, which means that in total we now have 18 deaths”said Morrowali police chief Supriando, who, like many other Indonesians, uses only one name.
Most of the victims who succumbed had burns on 70% of their bodieshe continued, clarifying that eight were foreigners.
Of the wounded, 24 people continue to be treated in hospital and another six in clinics of the company to which the factory belongs.
The accident happened at around 05:30 on Sunday (local time; 23:30 on Saturday Greek time) at a factory of Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in the industrial park of Morowali, on the island of Sulawesi (formerly known as Kelevi, east), about 1,800 kilometers as the crow flies from the capital Jakarta.
The island of Sulawesi is an important center for the production of nickel, a metal used mainly in the production of batteries for electric vehicles, but also in the manufacture of stainless steel.
China has made major investments in factories on the islandbut where working conditions and occupational safety are often complained about.
According to the first data of the investigation, the explosion occurred while blast furnace maintenance work was in progress. Flammable liquid caught fire, flames spread and reached oxygen tanks, which exploded.
ITSS is a subsidiary of the world's largest nickel producer, China's Tsingshan Holding Group, which also controls the Morrowali Industrial Park.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Beijing had asked the embassy in Jakarta to investigate the cause of the explosion in coordination with Indonesian authorities.
In January, two workers, including a Chinese national, were killed at a nickel smelter in the same industrial park when riots erupted in a central mobilization demanding higher wages and improved job security.
In June, an accident at this factory claimed the life of a worker and injured six others.
Source: News Beast
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