indonesia explosion
© Twitter: Tono Prasetya
The residents living in the vicinity of the explosion scene were reportedly evacuated and housed at several government facilities. There was no immediate information on casualties.

A massive explosion at the Balongan oil refinery owned by the Pertamina company, an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation, occurred in Indonesia's Indramayu area in West Java province on early Monday.

Local media outlets, citing eyewitnesses, said the explosion was heard up to a radius of dozens of kilometers from the epicentre.
"Around 00.30 [local time] there was a very strong explosion. The residents' houses were shaking and some of them had broken glass", one witness told a local media outlet Teras Pendopo.
Residents in neighboring districts were reportedly evacuated. The cause behind the massive blast was not immediately clear, although some witnesses told a local media outlet Republica.co.id that the explosion occured after heavy rainfall, lightning and thunder.
Corporate Secretary of Subholding Refining & Petrochemical, PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional, Ifki Sukarya, said, cited by local media, that the road leading to the area of explosion is being blocked. He also ensured "that the fuel supply to the public is not disrupted and is currently running normally."
A video that captured the moment of the explosion emerged on social media.


Multiple videos filmed on scene were also shared online, showing an enormous blast evolving into a fire.






​One Twitter user, who claims to live near the scene, shared a video filmed from her house. According to the user, her house "got a bit damage" due to the blast.

​Other photos shared online allegedly show damage done to one resident's house, with window glass seen smashed on the floor.

​Netizens also shared photos "from towns nearby" after the blast.

​According to Teras Pendopo, evacuated residents were housed in several government-owned facilities. Twitter users shared some footage online, saying that the Indramayu Regency government has opened the Pendopo Indramayu for the evacuated people.



​​No further details were immediately available.