Jakarta – Nearly two dozen people have been killed and dozens injured in a blaze that tore through a fireworks factory outside the Indonesian capital, police said Thursday, triggering explosions and sending plumes of black smoke into the air.
The fire broke out at an industrial complex in Tangerang, a satellite city of Jakarta.
“There are 103 workers in total at this factory, 43 are injured and being treated in three hospitals, the remains of 23 victims have been found,” Nico Afinta from Jakarta police told Kompas TV.
A firefighter on the scene said the victims had been burned beyond recognition.
“Those who died are completely unrecognisable, totally burnt,” Oni Sahroni told Metro TV.
Parts of the building collapsed after being gutted by the blaze which scorched nearby cars. Witnesses reported hearing two major blasts erupt from the site.
The factory – part of a complex that borders a residential area – had only been operating for six weeks, district government official Toni Rustoni told Metro TV.
The blaze, which broke out in the morning, was brought under control by late afternoon and authorities were working to recover the victims’ bodies from the building.
