Expired ammunition explodes during disposal in Indonesia, killing 13 people

The Indonesian flag is seen in this undate file image. (Teguh Setiawan via Pexels)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — An explosion during the disposal of expired ammunitions in Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday killed at least 13 people, including four soldiers, military officials said. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear.

Members of the Indonesian army were carrying out the disposal of unusable and expired ammunition — which had been stored in a a military warehouse center — in an environmental conservation area in Sagara village of Garut district. The initial explosion was shortly followed by another blast, said Maj. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi, the Indonesian military spokesperson.

Nine civilians and four army members were killed, Sianturi said, adding that several other people were being treated for various injuries.

The cause of the incident is still being investigated, with a focus on whether the standard procedure for ammunition disposal was followed, Sianturi said. The location — vacant land under the management of West Java’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency — is far from residential areas and often used for munitions disposal.

However, such activities often attract the attention of nearby residents, who often take metal fragments, copper or scrap iron from grenades and mortars, Sianturi said, “And there might be an unexpected second explosion after that.”

Local television footage showed an explosion lighting up the sky and thick black smoke, followed by a second blast a few minutes later. Another video showed ambulances evacuating the injured victims and the dead.

Niniek Karmini, The Associated Press