An explosion occurred at a nickel smelter in Indonesia, resulting in the deaths of 12 people.
According to local Kompas TV and others on the 24th (local time), the explosion happened around 5:30 a.m. at a nickel smelter located in the Morowali Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi Province.
The accident caused 12 fatalities and 39 injuries. Among the deceased, 7 were Indonesians and 5 were foreign workers from countries including China. The smelter where the accident occurred is operated by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel, a local company invested in by the Chinese Tsingshan Group. Sulawesi Island, where the accident took place, is known for its abundant deposits of nickel, a key mineral for electric vehicle batteries.
The Morowali Industrial Park stated that in the morning, workers were repairing a furnace inside the smelter when flammable materials remaining on the furnace floor caught fire, and nearby welding oxygen tanks exploded, causing the blast.
The fire was extinguished around 9:10 a.m., approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes after the incident. Local police are investigating the exact cause of the accident.
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