Medan, North Sumatra (ANTARA) - A fire that broke out at a lighter factory on Tengku Amir Hamzah Street, Sambirejo Village, Langkat District, North Sumatra, Friday afternoon, claimed 28 lives. This information was obtained from reports from the Office of Sambirejo Village Head handed to the Langkat District Head c.q. Head of the Langkat Regional Disaster Management Agency and posted at the Medan Bhayangkara Hospital.

Witness Suryadi, who moved the victims to Bhayangkara Hospital in Medan, remarked that only four workers survived the fire that broke out before the Friday prayer at 12:00 WIB.

He recalled that some factory workers died after being trapped in the factory building.

"When the fire broke out, the front door (factory) was locked, which opened only the back door, while the source of the fire was from behind," Suryadi remarked.

"All victims are women since they constituted the entire workforce there," he noted in connection with the factory workers, who died in the fire.

According to data from fire victims available at the Bhayangkara Hospital in Medan, five women died in the fire.

According to data, those dying in the fire are mostly from Sambirejo Village, while some were from Selayang Mancang Village and Kwala Begumit.

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Translator: Nur Aprilliana/Eliswan Azly
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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