JAKARTA – A Pertamina oil refinery in Indramayu, West Java, caught fire and exploded, injuring more than 20 residents and forcing hundreds in nearby areas to evacuate early this morning.
According to local media reports, houses and mosques near the plant were also damaged following powerful explosions.
As at 9am Western Indonesian time, there has been no official statement from Indonesian authorities on the casualties involved.
Pertamina, in a statement, said a tank at the Pertamina Balongan refinery caught fire at 12.45am during a thunderstorm.
“The cause of the fire is not yet known. Pertamina Balongan is now focusing on extinguishing the fire at the refinery located in Balongan, Indramayu district, West Java, about 200km from Jakarta,” read the statement.
Several videos of the huge flames and devastating explosions that occurred following the fire have also been shared on social media. – Bernama, March 29, 2021
Sad morning. Woke up with the news of Pertamina's oil refinery in Indramayu. What a huge fire explosion. I'm very sad of the workers inside. My deep condolences. pic.twitter.com/gi7ApSaWxF
— a-jeng ? 2.2 ? (@peacheswty) March 28, 2021
Pertamina (Indonesia's state-owned oil company) signed a deal with CPC in June 2020 to double this refinery's capacity.
— HUNTSMAN ?? (@man_integrated) March 28, 2021
CPC is Taiwan's state-owned oil and petrochemical company.
This marks two of Taiwan's most strategically important companies to be hit in the past five days. https://t.co/z3zroFzMmk
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