Local officials said oil spilled out from the surface of the well and thencaught fire at around 1:30 am on April 24 (local time). At least three housesin the area were engulfed.
A display showed that a column of black ash climbed to the sky as the fireremains.
As many as 10 bodies were brought out by firefighters and rescue workers. Thenumber of casualties is forecast to rise. Injured people were rushed to severalhospitals.
Indonesia’s oil and gas firm Pertamina also joined hands to control the fire.
East Aceh is dotted with numerous small-scale oil mining operations, which areoften run illegally by local villagers.-VNA