Inp.polri.go.id - Karawang.  The Karawang Sub-regional Police have named two suspects in the gas pipeline leakage incident at PT Pindo Deli 2, causing hundreds of residents in Kutamekar Village, Karawang, West Java, to suffer poisoning 20 January 2024. "The suspects are MD, the Head of Shift Storage Chlorine, and RP, the Head of Filling Station Chlorine Squad," said Karawang Police's Crime Investigation Unit Chief, Senior Private Abdul Jalil, on Monday (5/2/2024). Both individuals, who have been detained, charged under environmental protection and management laws with a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment, antaranews.com reported. Based on the examination by the Karawang Manpower and Transmigration Office, it was found that PT Pindo Deli 2 lacked operational standard procedures related to handling damages to the pipeline and were not included in hazard potential control documents. In addition,  the identification of potential hazards during the pipeline repair process has not been established. Meanwhile, the Indonesian National Police (INP) forensic laboratory (Puslabfor) found that during the incident, the gas detector in the caustic soda plant area indicated an alarm due to an increase in chlorine gas by <10 ppm with an average duration of ± 30 minutes, and it tended to decrease after several hours. On-site, the Puslabfor team found a leaking pipe from Chlorine Storage to the hypochlorite tank, suspected as the main cause of the release of chlorine gas into the air. According to the Karawang Environmental Agency, chlorine gas leaks at the caustic soda of PT Pindo Deli 2 unit had occurred four times since 2017.  Some of the cases had resulted in administrative penalties. (mg/inp/pr/nm)