JAKARTA: A suspected World War II-era explosive device detonated in a fishing village in Indonesia’s eastern Papua region, killing five people, injuring at least 19 others and destroying several homes, police said on Monday.
The explosion occurred beneath a stilt house on Sunday afternoon, sending a fireball and thick plume of smoke into the air and startling residents across the area.
Papua police spokesman Cahyo Sukarnito said authorities believe the blast was caused by a bomb or mortar left behind from World War II.
“The source of the explosion is strongly suspected to have been a bomb or mortar left over from World War II,” Sukarnito said.
According to police, five people were killed in the incident, while three others remain missing. Authorities are continuing search and recovery operations in the affected area.
Sukarnito said several body parts recovered from the scene have yet to be identified, complicating efforts to determine the final casualty count.
At least 19 people received treatment for minor injuries following the explosion.
The blast also caused significant property damage, with nine homes reported destroyed.
“We will provide further updates once the search for victims and the investigation have been completed,” Sukarnito said.
Indonesia was a major battleground during World War II when Japanese forces occupied the then Dutch East Indies and Allied troops fought to regain control. Unexploded wartime ordnance is occasionally discovered in parts of the country decades after the conflict ended.
The incident comes nearly two years after a military munitions disposal explosion in West Java killed 13 people, including nine civilians.
