Chinese worker dead in Indonesian high-speed rail project in Jakarta
- A pipeline caught fire after drilling work was carried out as part of the construction of the China-funded railway project, killing the worker, local media said
- The US$6-billion railway, which links Jakarta to Bandung, is currently China’s only Belt and Road project in the country
A fire broke out on a pipeline in western Indonesian on Tuesday, killing a Chinese construction worker.
West Java police chief Rudy Sufahriadi said the blaze broke out near a China-funded high-speed rail construction site that will connect the country’s capital, Jakarta, to Bandung.
The US$6-billion high-speed railway is currently China’s only Belt and Road project in the country.
Indonesian state oil and gas company Pertamina, which operates the pipeline, halted fuel distribution through the pipeline temporarily, said Dewi Sri Utami, a company spokeswoman.
She said the company would not comment on the cause of the fire until after it has carried out an investigation and is focusing for now on putting out the blaze.
Video footage showed thick black smoke rising from one side of a highway and engulfing part of a busy tollway.
The construction worker who was killed was a crane operator, the local fire department official said by telephone.
The Jakarta Post identified the worker as Li Xuan Feng, an employee of PT Mingshun Construction.