Paras Indonesia, 01, 26 2006 @ 11:35 pm
Police Rule Out Terror In Laboratory Blast
Posted by: Roy Tupai
A powerful explosion that injured 32 people at a pharmaceutical college in Jakarta
was purely accidental and not a terrorist bombing, police said Thursday (26/1/05).
The blast occurred at 7.50am in a third-floor laboratory at the state-run college located
in the compound of the National Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) on Jalan
Percetakan Negara in Central Jakarta.
A cleaner at the college, identified as Jumadi, was critically injured. The majority of
the injured were students, mostly females, who had been taking a practical
examination in a classroom next to the microbiology lab.
National Police chief General Sutanto said tests by forensics police showed the
explosion was not caused by a bomb. "Perhaps the blast occurred because the
equipment in the laboratory did not work properly," he was quoted as saying by state
news agency Antara.
"There were a lot of inflammable chemical substances in the laboratory that may have
contributed to the explosion," he said.
He said police were investigating the cause of the accident, adding that someone
should be held accountable for the blast. "Of course we are going to find out the
person most responsible for the blast,” he said.
Jakarta Police chief Inspector General Firman Gani said the explosion might have
been caused by chemicals reacting with gas in the microbiology lab.
BPOM head Sampurno denied the lab had contained any explosive chemicals. "There
were no explosive materials. Scientifically, they did not have explosive power.
However, we are awaiting the results of the investigation,” he was quoted as saying
by detikcom online news portal.
He said the blast could have been sparked by chemicals in the lab reacting with the
college’s gas supply, but stopped short of saying there had been a gas leak. "If we
look at the materials individually, it’s difficult to see how the explosion could have
happened. But in relation to the city gas, it’s possible. But I don’t want to make any
conclusions yet because the investigation is still underway.”
The blast blew part the roof and a wall to pieces, and also shattered windows at the
three-story building. Three classrooms were damaged, while much of the lab’s
equipment was destroyed.
Jumadi, the only person inside the lab at the time of the blast, suffered serious burns
and remains in intensive care at the nearby Thamrin Hospital. Reports did not mention
if he had been smoking while cleaning the lab. He was apparently too unwell to be
questioned by police.
The blast triggered panic among nearby residents and also started a small fire that
was soon extinguished.
Eka Muliawati, a first-year student at the college, said she had noticed sparks in the
classroom next to the lab moments before the explosion, which occurred about 20
minutes into the exam.
"There were sparks in the classroom and soon after that I heard the explosion and
something hit the back of my neck. I don’t know whether it was from the wall or the
ceiling. Then I fell on my desk, hitting my forehead. Everything was dark. Shards flew
everywhere,” she was quoted as saying by detikcom.
Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari inspected the scene of the blast at 1pm and then
paid a five-minute visit to Jumadi.
She said the Health Ministry, which oversees BOPM, would cover all of the medical
expenses of the injured until they had recovered. She dismissed fears that the college
was unsafe and susceptible to further explosions.
Sampurno said the lab’s chemicals included: 5 liters of alcohol, 2 liters of acetone, 1
bottle of isopropyl, 1 liter of hydrochloric acid, 2 tanks of liquid nitrogen, chloroform,
aquadest solution and antibiotics.
He said the explosion was the first to occur at the college and would hinder BPOM’s
work, But he said the agency could still conduct microbiology tests and research at
its other labs in Jakarta, Bandung (West Java), Surabaya (East Java) and Semarang
(Central Java).
Indonesia in recent years has been hit a by a series of bombings, mostly blamed on
regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah, which authorities have warned is planning
more attacks.
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