Chronology and Facts of the Ammunition Depot Explosion

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The explosion of the regional munitions warehouse or an ammunition depot (Gudmurah Paldam Jaya) in Ciangsana Village, Gunung Putri District, Bogor Regency, Indonesia, that belongs to the Indonesian Army, shocked local residents. A series of explosions at an ammunition warehouse that occurred during the breaking of the fast on Saturday, March 30, 2024, caused residents to panic.

Firefighters from Bogor and Bekasi Regencies, also assisted by the ones from Jakarta, came to extinguish the fire. Members of the TNI (Indonesian Army) and Polri (National Police) also came to help extinguish the fire and evacuate nearby residents.

On Sunday, March 31, 2024, the Commander of the Jayakarta Miiter Regional Command or Pangdam Jaya Major General Mohamad Hasan said that the fire could be extinguished around dawn. "We appeal to all people around this location to be calm and not to worry anymore, because we assess that the impact cannot cause another explosion," he said, Sunday.

The following are a number of facts regarding the ammunition warehouse explosion:

1. There were no fatalities

Hasan confirmed that there were no casualties from the explosion. "To date, we have checked all locations, in the direction of residential areas, there have been no casualties," he said.

He also said that conditions around the location were safe. Because the explosion occurred at the bottom of the embankment. It is known that the location of the warehouse is close to the river.

2. Smoke appearing

According to Hasan, the explosion is estimated to have occurred on Saturday at around 18:05 WIB (Western Indonesian Time). After investigation, the explosion came from ammunition warehouse number 6, which initially appeared to be emitting smoke. "(The smoke) turned out to be an indication of an explosion," he said.

After this discovery, officers at the warehouse immediately informed local residents to be alert and to evacuate the area.

3. The warehouse stored expired ammunition

Hasan said that the ammunition stored in warehouse number 6 contained ammunition that had expired. The age of some of the ammunition is estimated to be more than 10 years.

"The expired ammunition was returned from various units served throughout the Kodam area in Jakarta and we have 160,000 types of explosives," said Hasan.

4. Extinguishing the fire with robots and special fluids

The Jakarta Province Fire Handling and Rescue Service (Gulkarmat) took part in extinguishing the fire. Officers used robots and special fluids to extinguish the fire caused by the ammunition warehouse explosion.

Head of the Jakarta Gulkarmat Service, Satriadi Gunawan, said that his party had deployed two robotic units aimed at reducing the risk of work accidents for firefighters. "So, to transfer risks to personnel, we use two robotic units," he said.

Satriadi explained that the robot was controlled by an operator using a remote at a distance of around 500 meters from the source of the explosion. He ensures that the operator who moves the robot is safe from fire. "So it was driven by a remote operator who was protected by embankments," he said.

Apart from robots, Satriadi said that his party used a special liquid to extinguish fires around the crime scene. "Add one more thing, we use a special foam for the liquid, not just ordinary liquid," he said.

5. 135 families were displaced

Acting West Java Governor Bey Machmudin said that 135 heads of families had to be evacuated due to the explosion and fire at Gudmurah Kodam Jaya. Bey detailed that as many as 85 heads of families were evacuated at the village office, while 50 other families were evacuated to mosque prayer facilities around the Kota Wisata Housing Complex, Bogor.

"Make sure the residents are safe, the regent (Bogor) also handles the residents, there are 85 heads of families who are temporarily placed at the village head and 50 KK (heads of families) at the Darusalam Mosque in Tourism City," said Bey.

6. The sound of explosions reached the residential areas

The explosion of the ammunition warehouse was heard from quite a distance. Plumes of smoke and flames from explosions were also visible from a distance which were recorded by people's amateur cameras.

The explosion was also heard by residents in the Gunung Putri Bogor village and housing complex. According to police information, there were three explosions and the vibrations were felt several kilometers from the location.

"It happened just before breaking the fast and when residents were breaking their fast. Residents in the Gunung Putri area were shocked by a series of explosions that came from the Bullet Warehouse Bunker belonging to the Jaya Military Command. This incident occurred at around 17:30 WIB and was followed by a second explosion at the time of the Maghrib call to prayer at 18:05 WIB and "The third explosion was around 18:15 WIB," said Gunungputri Police Chief Adjunct Commissioner Didin Komarudin.

Apart from that, shells were reported reaching residential areas. Hasan said that his party carried out a search and asked residents to report if they found bullet casings or anything else.

ADI WARSONO | IMAM HAMDI | MAHFUZULLAH | ANTARA

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