Deadly illegal oil well fire in Aceh

BANDA ACEH, 25 April 2018: 

Firefighters in Indonesia struggled today to contain a blaze at an oil well in the northwestern province of Aceh that killed at least 15 people and injured 40, authorities said.

Flames towered over houses and trees as firefighters hosed down the area while villagers looked on, pictures posted on social media by Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, showed.

“We are still collecting data on the number of victims because the fire has not been extinguished,” the agency said in a statement.

The fire broke out early today, after a well of depth 250m overflowed and residents gathered to collect the oil, the agency said.

Dozens of people were taken to hospital in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, several hours away, the agency said – adding that state oil firm Pertamina was providing equipment to help fight the fire.

At least eight fire trucks had been deployed to douse the blaze.

The head of police in the area said the oil well might have been drilled illegally and the fire might have been started when someone was smoking a cigarette.

Such illegal drilling is common in Aceh, where Pertamina operates an oil field.

– Reuters

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