Furnace explosion at Chinese-owned nickel plant in Indonesia kills at least 13 and injures 46 others

By MOHAMMAD TAUFAN
Associated Press

PALU, Indonesia (AP) — A smelting furnace has exploded at a Chinese-owned nickel plant on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing at least 13 workers and injuring dozens of others. The explosion on Sunday was the latest in a series of deadly accidents in nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that are part of China’s ambitious transnational development program known as the Belt and Road Initiative. At least five Chinese and eight Indonesian workers died when the furnace exploded while they were repairing it. It was the third deadly incident this year at Chinese-owned nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province, which has the largest nickel reserves in Indonesia. Nickel is a key component in global battery production for electric vehicles.