JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Latest on a fire at a firecracker factory in Indonesia (all times local): 9 a.m. Relatives crushed by grief are arriving at a police hospital’s morgue to identify loved ones who died in a fire
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Latest on a fire at a firecracker factory in Indonesia (all times local):
9 a.m.
Relatives crushed by grief are arriving at a police hospital’s morgue to identify loved ones who died in a fire at an Indonesian fireworks factory.
The fire Thursday killed at least 47 workers and officials said all of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.
Umar Shahab who heads medical and health division at the Jakarta Police, said Friday they would only identified through dental records or DNA.
One survivor, Ahmad Safri, said the factory had poor working conditions in a sweaty, noisy warehouse, but he said the workers were not locked inside. He said workers who panicked when the fire grew might have run into a locked room however.
Authorities said the death toll may rise because some workers who were critically burned may not survive. Police say 10 workers are unaccounted for but some may be safe.
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6:30 p.m.
A worker who escaped the Indonesian factory fire that killed at least 47 people says most of those employed at the factory were women.
Mumum, who goes by one name, told Indonesia’s TVOne she started working at the fireworks factory a few weeks ago and was paid 40,000 rupiah ($3) a day. She says the female staff were mostly casual workers without contracts.
She says while weeping: “I lost so many friends. I couldn’t help. Everybody just ran for safety.”
Police say the death toll could rise further as many of the dozens of injured have extensive burns.
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5:40 p.m.
Indonesian police say the death toll from an inferno at a fireworks factory outside Jakarta has risen to 47.
Tangerang police chief Hary Kurniawan says the death toll could rise further as many of the dozens of injured have extensive burns.
He said all 47 bodies recovered so far were found in the remains of the factory and a search is continuing.
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5:20 p.m.
A police official says 39 people have been killed in an inferno at a firecracker factory outside the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
Nico Afinta, general crimes director at Jakarta police, says the death toll could rise as many victims have suffered extensive burns.
The fire began Thursday morning at the factory next to a residential area in Tangerang, a city in Banten province on the western outskirts of Jakarta.
A police report said the fire spread after an explosion and that the factory’s roof had collapsed.
