Pertamina to pay compensation to victims of gas blowout

State owned oil and gas company Pertamina will pay

compensation to the victims of a gas blowout incident at one of its old oil wells in Lembak Village, Muara Enim

regency, South Sumatra, last week, Suara Karya

reported on Monday.

Joko Susanto, the general manager of Pertamina's

production unit in the regency, said last week that

Pertamina would pay compensation to all the damages

caused by the gas blowout on the residents' property

including their plantations.

He said that the gas accident had also caused a great

loss to Pertamina. "But we don't know yet how much the

loss we suffered due to the blowout," he added.

No casualties were reported but more than 300

residents were evacuated to the police office and

other safer places about one kilometer from the

location following the gas blowout which occurred at

about 2 a.m. on Tuesday, last week.

Joko said the blowout occurred when workers were

conducting a cleansing operation on the old wells by

injecting sea water into the old oil wells when the

blowout took place. "The company has anticipated

a possible blowout by covering the wells with thick

mud. But the pressure of the gas from one of the wells

was too strong," he said. (*).