25 February 2016•Update: 26 February 2016
By Ainur Rohmah
TUBAN, Indonesia
An explosion at a hydroelectric plant in Indonesia's North Sumatra province killed six workers Thursday and left seven more in a critical condition.
The blast is suspected to have occurred when a cigarette ignited gas in a tunnel where the men were working.
News website Kompas.com quoted Tanah Karo Police Chief Viktor Togi Tambunan as saying that investigators originally presumed that the men had received an electric shock.
"After we conducted an investigation and requested information from witnesses, [we learned] the victims died because they were burnt," Tambunan said.
"While they were in the tunnel, gas began to leak in, allegedly being sparked by a cigarette which then burnt the workers."
It is not known what gas caused the explosion.
Tambunan added that forensic staff were examining the scene to determine the cause of the accident.
Civil engineer Im Su Hung told Kompas that four burnt workers had emerged from the tunnel asking for help.
"The conditions inside the tunnel were wet. There was water up to the knees of adults. We do not yet know what caused the incident."
