Explosion at ammunition disposal site in Indonesia kills 13

Troops were disposing of expired munitions when a blast ripped through the site, the second such incident in just over a year

Thirteen people died in a blast during the disposal of expired military ammunition in Indonesia’s West Java on Monday, army officials told local media, the second incident involving expired ammunition in the country in little over a year.

The blast happened when Indonesian troops attempted to dispose of rejected munitions by detonating them in a pit in Garut district, West Java province, about 300km (190 miles) from the capital.

“While the team was arranging the detonator inside the pit, suddenly an explosion happened, causing 13 people to die,” army spokesman Wahyu Yudhayana said.

He told a press conference that two batches of ammunition had been successfully disposed of before a third attempt went wrong.

The location — vacant land in Sagara village of Garut district under the management of West Java’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency — is far from residential areas and often used for munitions disposal.

Nine of the victims were civilians while four were military personnel, military spokesman Kristomei Sianturi told Kompas TV, adding that the military was investigating the cause of the incident.

The investigation would include an inquiry into how civilians were allowed so close to the detonation site, officials said.

The area where the blast happened was in a field where such detonations were routinely conducted, Kristomei said.

Local residents typically gather after the disposals to collect scrap materials left by the detonations, he said, adding that the area had been cleared to ensure safety in case of further explosions.

Local television footage showed an explosion lighting up the sky and thick black smoke, followed by a second blast a few minutes later. Another video showed ambulances evacuating the injured victims and the dead.

Monday’s blast is the second incident involving Indonesian military ammunition in little over a year. In March last year, a massive fire broke out at an Indonesian military depot storing expired ammunition near Jakarta, causing a series of explosions.

Authorities had to evacuate nearby residents to safer areas as fire tore through the storage facility, but there were no casualties reported.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse, Associated Press