*SOME PICTURES MAY PROVIDE*
At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured in a fire that broke out at a state-owned fuel depot in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Friday and was brought under control by firefighters, authorities said.
• Also read: Thailand: Almost 6,000 American soldiers for joint exercises
• Also read: Corruption in Iraq: Ericsson has been fined more than $200 million in the US
An investigation is underway to determine the origin of the incident, which took place after 20:00 local time (13:00 GMT) at the facilities of the national oil company Pertamina, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Dudung told press Abdurachman.
There are at least 17 dead and 50 injured, the Jakarta Fire Department said on Twitter.
The fire, which was extinguished within hours, prompted the evacuation of densely populated areas near the depot in the north of the city, according to authorities.
Television footage showed people fleeing through narrow streets, with huge flames rising into the sky behind them.
The fire chief of the north of the capital, Satriadi Gunawan, told AFP news agency that he had received preliminary information that a pipe had burst at the depot.
He said his men, more than 250 in all, moved quickly to contain the fire from the Plumpang depot and prevent it from reaching nearby residential areas.
National oil company Pertamina CEO Nicke Widyawati promised to “carry out a thorough internal study to prevent a similar accident from happening again.”
She said the country’s fuel supply was not affected, with other terminals taking over.
A fire broke out in the same depot in 2009, and another nearby fire affected 40 homes in 2014, with no casualties reported in either case.
In 2021, a huge fire broke out at the Balongan refinery in West Java, one of the largest in the country, also owned by Pertamina.
The fire had lasted two days and after an explosion led to the evacuation of thousands of people.