817 Collections Of National Museums Affected By Fires, Coordinating Minister For Human Development And Culture: Damage Still Under Study

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said hundreds of collections at the National Museum were affected by the fire. The details are still being studied.

This was conveyed when he visited the National Museum or Elephant Museum after the fire, on Thursday, September 21.

"There are 817 collections affected, the damage is still being studied and studied, ranging from heavily damaged to lightly affected," Muhadjir said in a written statement, Thursday, September 21.

Muhadjir could not go inside because there was a police line at the location of the fire. However, he has coordinated with the Directorate General of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology to reorganize the museum.

In this structuring effort, continued Muhadjir, international and current standards will be applied. Then, a direct connection system will be created between the museum and the fire department so that incidents like this do not repeat themselves.

This is because this system is considered to make the museum do not need to make a phone call first to the fire department so that the fire can be extinguished immediately before it grows

"There needs to be modernization regarding ways and tools to prevent fire incidents like this and other (occurrences)," said Muhadjir.

It is known that the National Museum caught fire on Saturday, September 16. Acting Head of the Museum and Cultural Heritage (MCB) Ahmad Mahendra explained, as many as 817 collections and historical objects were also burned.

"The affected collections and historical objects are collections of bronze, ceramics, city, and wood as well as collections of miniatures and replicas of prehistoric objects found intact and lightly damaged to severe," Mahendra said some time ago.

After the fire, several steps and actions have been taken, such as the formation of a cross-unit investigation and evacuation team, closure of six affected rooms, and limited closure of one affected room for further investigation.

Based on information received by his party, the flames that scorched 6 rooms in the A building of the Indonesian National Museum came from behind building A.

"We emphasize that this fire did not start in the building. It is known that the fire came from behind Building A of the Indonesian National Museum," said Mahendra.