One Dead After Military Truck Explosion on Pasuruan Toll Road
- Puspen TNI
Pasuruan, VIVA – Lieutenant Colonel Arhanud Noor Iskak, provided an explanation regarding the incident involving a Kostrad (Army Strategic Command) truck that exploded and caught fire at Km 774 of the Gempol Toll Road, Pasuruan, East Java, on Monday night.
Iskak explained that the truck, which was transporting equipment and personnel from the 509th Infantry Brigade (Brigif 509/Kostrad) Jember, was traveling from Surabaya to Jember.
“The convoy consisted of four trucks carrying equipment and members of Brigif 509/Kostrad Jember, who had just completed a mission in Papua,” he said in a statement.
Komandan Kodim/0819 Pasuruan Letnan Kolonel Arhanud Noor Iskak
- ANTARA/Fahmi Alfian
He then clarified that the truck which exploded and caught fire on the Gempol Toll Road was carrying hand grenades and small-caliber ammunition. Iskak also confirmed that one soldier died in the incident.
However, he emphasized that the soldier did not die due to the explosion or fire, but rather after falling from a height while attempting to evacuate by jumping over the toll road’s safety wall.
The deceased soldier, identified by the initial "U", was in the third truck of the four-truck convoy heading to Jember.
Upon seeing the second truck on fire, soldier U exited his vehicle to evacuate and sought shelter behind the toll road’s barrier.
Based on the crime scene investigation, visibility in the area was extremely poor, causing soldier U to be unaware that the escape route he chose led to a ravine with a depth of 7 to 10 meters.
He fell and was declared dead after being evacuated to Bhayangkara Hospital at the Pusdik Sabhara Porong, Sidoarjo.
Iskak stressed that the cause of the explosion and fire involving the ammunition-laden truck is still under investigation.
He added that the military is working closely with the police to sweep a one-kilometer radius from the scene to locate any potentially scattered ammunition.
