Police Investigate Explosion During IPA Practice at Siak Riau Junior High School, Killing 1 Student

JAKARTA - The police are investigating a ninth grade student at the Siak Islamic Center SMP in Riau Province with the initials MA (15) who died allegedly due to an explosion of a homemade rifle while taking a science practice exam.

Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Siak Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police Raja Kosmos Parmulais, said the victim suffered head injuries while practicing a tool allegedly in the form of a gun suddenly exploded on Wednesday, April 8.

"We have processed the crime scene, and the objects that have been secured will be sent to the forensic laboratory (Labfor). We can't confirm the exact cause or cause of the explosion before there is a result of the examination," he said in Siak, Thursday, quoted by Antara.

At that time it was the time for the science practice exam with five groups of students, each consisting of nine people. Each group will demonstrate the results of the science work they have done.

When it was MA's turn, he (MA) told his group friends to stay away from the crime scene. The reason is that MA will demonstrate his practice test in the form of a 3D-assembled rifle that he made.

MA took the position as a prop and fired the rifle he made. However, when the shot was fired, there was an explosion in the assembled rifle which resulted in smoke and the sound of the explosion followed by the scattering of a number of materials.

"The fragments of the assembled rifle scattered around the school hall, the classroom walls and also the head of the victim so that the victim suffered injuries to the face due to the fragments of the rifle," he said.

The victim was then rushed to the hospital for medical treatment, but his life was not saved and he was declared dead.

"A number of evidence related to the science project was also secured for investigation purposes," said Raja.

According to him, the cause of the explosion is suspected to be the victim's science work in the form of plastic parts, iron pieces and black powder, but the police cannot confirm the type of black powder because it must be tested in the laboratory.

"We send it to the Riau Police Labfor to confirm it. We ask that there be no speculation on this incident," he said.