No fewer than fifteen workers were killed and 46 others injured on Sunday in an explosion at a nickel smelter furnace owned by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) on Sulawesi Island, the owner of the industrial park where the smelter is located said.
The explosion occurred when workers repaired the furnace and installed plates at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, killing nine Indonesian workers and four Chinese workers, Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) said in a statement. The fire was extinguished at 9:10 a.m. local time, it added.
Earlier, it was said that an explosion killed eight Indonesian and five Chinese workers.
The fire was shut off the day before to prepare for maintenance, IMIP said, but during the maintenance process, excess iron slag flowed from the furnace.
“The furnace walls then collapsed and the remaining iron slag flowed out, causing a fire and resulting in some workers at the location suffering injuries and even fatalities,” IMIP spokesperson Dedy Kurniawan said in the statement.
Dedy said in a separate interview with newsmen that the workers were harmed by hot steam from stainless steel slag and the raging fire.
He revised the company’s initial statement, saying there was no explosion or oxygen canister on the scene.
According to the company, IMIP will work with connected parties to examine the occurrence and cover all treatment costs for victims.
According to the company, IMIP will work with connected parties to examine the occurrence and cover all treatment costs for victims.
Nickel has grown increasingly important for resource-rich Indonesia, the world’s largest nickel producer, with billions of dollars in global investment streaming in since the government banned unprocessed ore exports in 2020.
Southeast Asia’s largest economy is attempting to create downstream nickel businesses and entice large-scale investment from electric vehicle and battery makers.
However, multiple deadly accidents in Indonesia’s nickel processing industry have happened in recent years.
President Joko Widodo is eager to promote the sector, but he has also called for increased safety and committed to strengthening environmental monitoring.
