Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Ammunitions disposal operation in Garut, West Java, triggered a deadly explosion on Monday morning (June 12). The blast killing at least 13 people, including Indonesian Army personnel and civilians.
Indonesian military spokesperson Major General Kristomei Sianturi confirmed the incident, which occurred during the destruction of expired munitions. All fatalities were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Pameungpeuk Regional Hospital for autopsies and further handling.
“We’re continuing to coordinate with local authorities to secure the blast site and ensure no further explosions occur,” Kristomei said during a televised interview from Jakarta on Monday.
He added that the military is currently focused on investigating the cause of the incident.
Sequence of Events
Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhayana, head of the Army’s information division, detailed the chronology of the explosion, which took place during a routine disposal of unserviceable ammunitions by the Indonesian Army.
At around 9:30 a.m. local time, Army personnel were conducting a controlled demolition of expired ammunition on land managed by the Garut Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) in Sagara village, Cibalong district, a site routinely used for such operations.
The munitions belonged to the Army’s Central Ammunition Depot (Gupusmu III), under the Army Equipment Center (Puspalad). According to Wahyu, standard safety checks were conducted on both personnel and the demolition site before the operation began, and everything was deemed secure.
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The demolition team prepared two underground pits and successfully detonated munitions in both without incident. However, a third pit intended for destroying leftover detonators was being prepared when a sudden explosion occurred.
“While the team was placing detonators into the third pit, an unexpected explosion went off,” Wahyu states as reported by Kumparan.
The blast claimed the lives of 13 individuals, including four Army personnel and nine civilians. The presence of civilians near the demolition site has raised concerns and prompted questions regarding adherence to standard operating procedures.
Military officials have not yet provided an explanation for the cause and why civilians were in the vicinity during the operation. Investigations into both the cause of the blast and the procedural lapses are ongoing.
(Raidi/Agung)
