Gas leak explosion at Ciputat fruit warehouse kills two, injures 11, raises free-meal program safety concerns
A gas-leak blast at a fruit-storage warehouse in Ciputat killed two people and injured 11, prompting police to probe links to the government’s free-meal scheme.
On Wednesday evening, a fruit-storage warehouse in the Cimanggis Market of Ciputat, South Tangerang, detonated, killing two individuals and wounding eleven others. Police identified a 52-kilogram ethylene gas cylinder, commonly used to ripen fruit, as the probable source of the leak that triggered the blast, which also damaged four adjacent shophouses. Victims included nearby pedestrians and warehouse staff who were still packing fruit when the explosion occurred.
The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency, led by Brig. Gen. Susatyo Purnomo Condro, is examining whether the warehouse was part of the supply chain for a kitchen preparing free nutritious meals under President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship program. Officials said the presence of unripe bananas and the gas cylinder are key evidence, and the investigation will continue to determine any program-related safety lapses.
Why it matters
The incident exposes possible safety gaps in the supply chain of a national free-meal program.
In this story
