13 Killed, Dozens Injured in Explosion at Indonesian Nickel Plant

An explosion at a nickel plant on Indonesia's Sulawesi island killed at least 13 workers and injured dozens of others, some seriously on Sunday. Eight victims were Indonesian and five were Chinese. The plant is Chinese-funded. During the repair work on a furnace, a flammable liquid ignited and caused nearby oxygen tanks to explode, an initial



investigation suggested.

 

Indonesia is the world's top producer of nickel, which is used in electric car batteries and stainless steel. An initial explosion caused several other blasts since there were many other oxygen tanks nearby, said a spokesperson for Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park.