An explosion at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel, a Chinese owned nickel processing plant in eastern Indonesia has killed 13 people. At least 38 people were injured in this incident.
The explosion occurred at 5.30 a.m. local time on Sunday (December 24) during repairs to a furnace at the Chinese-funded Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) on the island of Sulawesi. Park spokesperson Deddy Kurniawan said 8 Indonesians and 5 Chinese workers were among the dead.
According to the spokesperson, Preliminary investigation showed that the explosion occurred when a flammable liquid caught fire and the explosion also caused oxygen tanks nearby to explode.
“We sincerely apologize for this incident and we are working closely with authorities to investigate what caused the accident,” said company spokesperson Deddy Kurniawan.
The Third Deadly Incident this year: Reasons and rescues
It is the third fatal incident this year at a Chinese-owned nickel smelting plant in Central Sulawesi province, home to Indonesia’s largest nickel reserves.
Previously, the company had said that explosive liquid beneath the furnace started the fire.
Again, in a statement released by the company on Sunday afternoon, Kurniawan said the reactor was under maintenance.
“Furnace residual slag” was exposed to “combustibles,” causing the walls of the furnace to collapse and the residual steel slag to come out.
The explosion was so powerful that it collapsed the furnace and damaged part of the side wall of the building, Central Sulawesi police chief, Agus Nugroho said.
Workers complained that they have been working in unsanitary conditions in the factory for a long time.
Workers complained that they have been working in unsanitary conditions in the factory for a long time.
Authorities are working to determine whether the death was caused by the company’s negligence, Nugroho said.
Rescuers put out the fire in a four-hour-long effort and evacuated the workers. The injured were admitted to the hospital.
PT IMIP has covered all the costs of treatment and care of the victims after the accident. So far one body has been handed over to the family of the deceased.
Two previous Incidents at the same plant
There have been two brutal deaths before this incident. In April this year, two dump truck operators were killed when a wall of black sludge-like material collapsed after a nickel waste disposal site collapsed. This happened when the victims were operating two dump trucks in the disposal area.
Last year, a loader truck crushed and killed a Chinese worker while repairing a road in PT IMIP’s mining area, and an Indonesian man was burned when a furnace exploded at the company’s factory.
Concerns
The Sulawesi island is the center of nickel production in Indonesia, a country rich in minerals. Nickel is a base metal used for electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel. The Indonesian island is rich in copper, cobalt and bauxite, which are used to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries. China has invested in that factory. About 50% of PT IMIP’s shares are owned by a Chinese holding company and the rest are owned by two Indonesian companies.
It was the latest of a series of deadly incidents at nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Tsingshan Holding Group, the world’s biggest nickel producer and China’s biggest stainless steelmaker, holds a majority stake in ITSS, a tenant in the industrial park.
Deadly fires have become a daily occurrence in Indonesia. A fire at the same plant in June killed one person and injured six others, in another incident that has raised concerns about the safety of facilities financed and operated by Chinese companies.
According to the Mining Advocacy Network, At least 22 workers from China and Indonesia have died at nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province since 2019, including two Chinese nationals who committed suicide.
In March, three Chinese workers filed a complaint with Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission, alleging that workers’ health was deteriorating due to exposure to dust and fumes while working seven-day work weeks without breaks at PT IMIP. There is no provision of adequate safety equipment for the workers.
Critics say that the government’s rush to expand its nickel processing and EV market that has harmed the environment as well as people like farmers and indigenous tribes.
