(Jakarta) At least 14 people were killed and dozens injured in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Friday in a fire that broke out at a state-run fuel depot that firefighters managed to bring under control, according to announced the army.
An investigation is underway to determine the origin of this incident, which occurred after 8 p.m. local time (8 a.m. Eastern time) at the facilities of the national oil company Pertamina, the chief of staff told the press. Dudung Abdurachman Armed Forces.
“At the moment”, he lamented, “there are 14 dead” and at least 42 injured, including three children who are in serious condition, said the governor of Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, on the television channel Kompas TV.
The fire, which was extinguished within hours, prompted the evacuation of densely populated neighborhoods near the depot, Dudung Abdurachman said.
Footage shared on social media, which could not immediately be verified, showed people fleeing through narrow streets with huge flames rising skyward behind them.
Fire chief for the north of the capital, Satriadi Gunawan, told AFP he had received preliminary information that a pipe had burst in the depot.
He said his men, more than 250 in total, moved quickly to contain the fire and prevent it from reaching nearby housing areas.