Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National
By Indonesia correspondent Samantha Hawley

Fireworks factory explosion kills at least 47 outside Jakarta

Firefighters tackle the fireworks factory fire in the city of Tangerang, west of the capital Jakarta.

At least 47 people have been killed in an explosion and fire at a fireworks factory near Jakarta, police say.

Bodies are still being recovered from the building, and police said they were trying to locate dozens of employees who worked there.

Police said there were 103 workers at the factory in the city of Tangerang, 25 kilometres west of the capital Jakarta.

"The first thing we are going to do after the area has cooled off is a humanitarian effort," Tangerang City Police chief Harry Kurniawan said.

"We are going to search whether there are any victims that need immediate treatment at hospitals.

"We are still counting the number of dead because they are in a condition that is hard to identify."

Local media reported most of the victims were women who worked in the building and three were underage.

More than 40 people are being treated in three nearby hospitals, while the bodies of the dead are being taken to a police hospital in Jakarta for identification.

"The warehouse is still not safe for us to work in, we need to clear it first and then we'll know more," forensic doctor Umar Shahab said at the scene.

Early investigations point to electrical fault

An electrical fault is believed to have caused the explosion, although police said they were still investigating.

The factory is in a densely populated area of Tangerang in the province of Baten.

Senior police commissioner Nico Afinta said the company, PT Panca, had been in operation for two months.

"We can say that the fire started from the front of the building and continued to the backside," the commissioner said.

"Most of them [the victims] were piled up in the back because it seemed they were trying to avoid the fire at the front."

Commissioner Afinta said police were checking the work permits for the company and the owner was being questioned.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.