Blaze at Indonesian nickel smelter kills worker, wounds 6

A fire at a nickel smelter in Indonesia left one worker dead and injured six others, police said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of deadly incidents that have prompted concern over safety at the $2.7 billion facility.
The local police spokesperson in Central Sulawesi confirmed, the incident happened on Monday at the Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) plant in Central Sulawesi. The smelter, launched in 2021, is owned by China’s Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry and has an annual capacity of 1.8 million tonnes.
GNI in a statement said the victim died after being given medical treatment and those injured were receiving care at a health facility. It said an investigation was underway.
The fire came five months after two workers were killed, including a Chinese national, in clashes and rioting when a protest at the smelter over pay and safety spiralled out of control, with security forces deployed to restore order.
According to media reports at the time,a month earlier, two workers were killed in a fire and an explosion at the same facility.