Death toll in steel plant fire in Indonesia rises to 18

The death toll from a fire at an Indonesian nickel plant rose to 18 as of Tuesday from 13 on Sunday, local police said, while operations at the plant remained suspended as authorities investigated the cause of the incident.

A fire broke out early Sunday morning at a nickel smelting furnace on the island of Sulawesi owned by Indonesian Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS), a unit of China's Tsingshan Holding Group.
Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, has banned the export of unprocessed nickel ore while promoting heavy investment in smelting and refining, but there have been several fatal accidents in the sector in recent years.

President Joko Widodo, calling nickel processing an economic development priority, called for improved safety and greater enforcement of environmental standards.

Central Sulawesi police spokesman Joko Winartono said on Tuesday that eight foreign workers were among the victims and that police were still investigating the cause of the fire. China's Foreign Ministry said four Chinese were among the first 13 confirmed deaths.

Dedi Kurniawan, a spokesman for Indonesia's Morowali Industrial Park, where the plant is located, said on Tuesday that work would be suspended while the plant was investigated.