ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – An explosion incident occurred at the Nickel smelter belonging to PT Kalimantan Ferro Industry (KFI), in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, on Thursday, May 16 2024.
Explosions at the PT KFI smelter occurred twice in two consecutive days. The first explosion occurred on Thursday, May 16 2024 at around 18.40 WITA.
A loud explosion occurred on the discharge side of the nickel slag which resulted in sparks. The sparks soar upward from the nickel slag pool’s heat source. The incident lasted several minutes and left one worker injured and another exposed to dust from the explosion.
“The temporary cause can be said to be a blockage in the slag exhaust cooling flow, which caused the explosion,” said PT KFI Owner Representative M. Ardhi Soemargo, in a written statement, Saturday, May 18 2024.
Actually, last Friday, said Ardhi, the factory was running normally and workers returned to their usual activities. Then, the explosion occurred again on Friday, May 17 2024 at around 23.45 WITA.
According to Ardhi, the explosion was a small explosion in the waste pit area but was not dangerous. Because of this, the party claims that the PT KFI smelter is safe again.
Ardhi emphasized that the company is ready to take responsibility for the impact of the smelter explosion experienced by residents. It was reported that a number of residents’ houses around the factory located in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, were damaged.
He said the company would deploy an investigation team to check the condition of residents affected by the explosion.
“If indeed (there is damage) due to this incident, we will definitely be responsible,” said Ardhi.
So far, local police have secured the area around the incident and are still carrying out investigations. (ATN)
Follow Us at Google News and WA Channel