Indonesia says ‘strong indication’ of safety violation led to fire at Chinese-owned nickel plant that killed 21 people

Indonesia’s Manpower ministry said there was a strong indication of procedure violations and negligence of safety requirements that allegedly led to the fire

An explosion in late December at Chinese firm Tsingshan’s smelter on the island of Sulawesi killed 21 people

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A police officer stands guard near the site where a furnace explosion occurred at a Chinese-owned nickel plant in Indonesia. Photo: AP

Published: 9:00pm, 16 Jan 2024

The Indonesian government said on Tuesday there was a strong indication of a safety procedure violation that led to a fire at a nickel smelter on Sulawesi island that killed 21 workers.

A fire broke out on December 24 at a furnace in a smelter operated by Tsingshan Stainless Steel Indonesia, located in the country’s largest nickel hub, the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP).

There was a strong indication of standard procedure violation and negligence in the implementation of safety requirements that allegedly led to the fire incident, Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah said in a statement on Tuesday.

She did not elaborate on the suspected violations.

In the same statement, Central Sulawesi police chief Agus Nugroho said the police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

The police and two ministries have been ordered to carry out checks on the sites by Coordinating Minister for Investment and Maritime Affairs Luhut Panjaitan

Aerial view of PT. Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), one of the largest nickel producers in Konawe Utara. Photo: AP

Indonesia, the world’s largest nickel producer, has banned exports of unprocessed nickel ore as it moves to boost domestic smelting and processing, but the sector has suffered several fatal incidents in recent years.