Death toll in Indonesia nickel plant blast rises to 18 as China calls for emergency response

Indonesia’s police say eight foreign workers among 18 dead at the factory

The number of casualties from the explosion at the nickel smelter factory in Indonesia has reached 18.

Many people are still receiving treatment for burn injuries, and operations at the facility are currently on hold, according to officials on Tuesday.

A huge explosion rocked the Chinese-funded nickel smelter furnace on Sulawesi island, owned by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS), causing a fire on Sunday morning.

The accident happened during repair work on a furnace when a flammable liquid ignited and caused nearby oxygen tanks to explode, according to the initial investigation.

Chinese foreign ministry called authorities to launch emergency response after four Chinese nationals were killed.

Central Sulawesi police spokesperson Djoko Wienartono said on Tuesday that the death toll included eight foreign workers.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway.

The operations at the factory remained suspended, Dedy Kurniawan a spokesperson for the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park where the plant is located, said.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for improved safety and enhanced monitoring of environmental standards in the wake of the accident.

A Chinese worker who was injured in the explosion at a nickel smelter furnace is brought to the Morowali Regional General Hospita (AFP via Getty Images)

But at the same time, he acknowledged that nickel processing remains a priority for the economic development of the country.

Indonesia is the world’s biggest nickel producer. It has banned unprocessed nickel ore exports while giving a major push to major investments in smelting and processing. However, the industry has remained plagued by several fatal accidents in recent years.

It was the latest in a series of accidents at nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that have been part of China’s ambitious transnational development programme — the Belt and Road Initiative.

Other businesses at the park, which hosts 52 companies, remain operational, Mr Kurniawan said.

A worker at the industrial complex told AFP news agency that the victims’ faces “were burnt” and their “clothes were all burnt”.

TSS is jointly owned with a 50 per cent stake by Tsingshan Holding Group, the world’s biggest nickel producer and China’s biggest stainless steelmaker.

Police officers and workers stand near the site where a furnace explosion occurred at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel smelting plant in Morowali (AP)

The company said it would cover the cost of treatment for the injured workers.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the Chinese embassy “launched the emergency response mechanism, sending a special team to handle a local furnace explosion”.

It was the third deadly incident this year at Chinese-owned nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province, which has the largest nickel reserves in Indonesia.

Two workers, including a Chinese national, were killed at a nickel smelting plant in the same industrial park after a riot between workers and security guards broke out during a protest over safety conditions and pay.

Two dump truck operators were killed when they were engulfed by a wall of black sludge-like material following the collapse of a nickel waste disposal site in April.

Last year, a loader truck ran over and killed a Chinese worker while he was repairing a road in PT IMIP’s mining area, and an Indonesian man burned to death when a furnace in the company’s factory exploded.

Data collected by the Mining Advocacy Network, an Indonesian watchdog, showed that at least 22 workers from China and Indonesia have died in nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province since 2019.