Illegal Oil Well Explodes in South Sumatra; Third Incident in 2 Months
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12 October 2021 07:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The South Sumatra Police on Monday afternoon reported that an illegal oil well located in the Kaban village in Musi Banyuasin had violently exploded. At the time of the report, authorities and the locals were still attempting to contain the massive fire.
“Police personnel together with village apparatus are still extinguishing the fire,” said Musi Banyuasin Police Chief Grand Commissioner Alamsyah Paluppesy on October 11, Antaranews reported. “We are on standby to prevent the fire from spreading.”
He explained that the series of illegal oil wells had exploded so violently. It seared the dry bushes in its vicinity and created a massive thick smoke above the location.
This is not the first time, as similar incidents had happened in the past. The local police logged three explosions that caused massive fires three times in the past two months. This area in South Sumatra is one of the largest crude oil and gas producers.
The first oil well explosion happened on Thursday, September 9, which killed three people while the second happened on Tuesday, October 5. The police are still searching for the suspects behind the incidents.
South Sumatra police have forcefully closed down nearly 1,000 illegal oil wells in this region and had arrested six suspects.
Read: 805 Kg of Crude Oil Waste Collected from Kepulauan Seribu; Cause Still Unknown
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