Indonesia, another munitions explosion: 13 dead in Garut, 9 civilians

In West Java province, an explosion occurred during the controlled detonation of old bombs. A group of civilians, present in the restricted area without authorisation, were caught in the blast—reportedly scavenging for bomb fragments to sell. The explosion is the latest in a long series of similar incidents; another occurred on 9 May. These events raise concerns over the security of military sites.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – At least 13 people, including four military personnel, were killed yesterday in an explosion at an Indonesian army munitions depot in Garut, West Java. Indonesian authorities confirmed that the blast took place during the controlled detonation of expired ammunition.

Among the victims was Colonel Antony Hermawan, head of the army’s munitions division. The other nine fatalities were civilians who had entered the restricted area. "Everything was proceeding safely until a group of non-military individuals approached the site, even though some of the detonators had not yet been triggered," said army spokesperson Lieutenant General Wahyu Yudhayana. "Suddenly, these devices exploded, and the civilians had no chance to escape." Authorities are now investigating how the civilians managed to access the protected military site, which is officially off-limits. Preliminary findings suggest they may have been looking for bomb fragments, which are often sold illegally as scrap metal.

The Garut explosion is the latest in a series of fatal incidents involving military explosives in recent decades, highlighting ongoing concerns over the security of military storage facilities in the Southeast Asian country. A similar incident occurred on 9 May in East Java province, when an army truck carrying ammunition exploded on a motorway. One soldier was killed after jumping into a ravine in an attempt to escape the flames and blast. Another case was reported in Gunung Putri, Bogor, West Java, in 2023: a powerful blast at an army depot caused significant damage, though fortunately no casualties were reported.

On 5 March 2014, a naval officer was killed and dozens of people injured after an explosion ripped through a naval ammunition warehouse. Military spokesman Iskandar Sitompul told reporters that 86 people had been injured, one of them seriously. The explosion, which occurred near the capital Jakarta, was believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit in the building. Following the incident, military officials pledged a comprehensive review of ammunition storage safety protocols nationwide.

However, even earlier, in 1984, an explosion at a navy depot in Cilandak, South Jakarta, killed eight people and destroyed much of the surrounding complex. Reportedly, more than 2,000 tonnes of ammunition were involved. Shrapnel landed across a middle-class suburb of the capital, injuring dozens. At the time, it was unclear whether sabotage was involved in the detonation of such a large stockpile of ammunition, and government officials declined to comment. “It’s like a war,” said one resident, who refused to heed radio appeals to evacuate all homes within a one-mile radius of the site.