TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Military Armed Forces (TNI AD) Ammunition Warehouse II in the Saradan District, Madiun Regency, East Java, exploded on Thursday morning, July 16, 2026. The explosion of ammunition that occurred around 09:00 WIB (Western Indonesian Time) caused a loud bang that was heard in the residential areas around the military complex.
The incident resulted in one soldier dead and six others injured. Here are a number of facts about the ammunition explosion in the TNI warehouse:
1 Killed and 6 Injured
TNI AD Information Department Head Brigadier General Donny Pramono said the explosion occurred while soldiers were conducting inspection and maintenance procedures for the ammunition materials in one of the storage warehouses.
"In this incident, 1 soldier was declared dead, 4 seriously injured, and 2 others lightly injured," said Donny at a press conference on Thursday. All the victims have been evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment.
Cause of the Explosion Yet Unknown
Donny stated that, as of now, the TNI has not been able to determine the cause of the explosion. The investigation team deployed is still carrying out their duties in the field.
He requested the public to give the investigative team some space to work optimally. "We also invite everyone to avoid speculating about the causes of the incident before the entire examination process is completed," he said.
Location Closed Off
TNI AD closed off the ammunition warehouse area during the investigation process. Only the investigation team is allowed to enter the location.
"The place is definitely secured, everything is cleared, it's closed off. Only the investigation team is allowed in. And the investigation team is not allowed to enter casually, it's done in stages," said Donny.
DPR Asks for Transparent Investigation
Member of the DPR Commission I Tubagus Hasanuddin asked TNI AD to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation. These two aspects are considered important to ensure that the cause of the explosion, which killed one soldier, does not happen again.
"I also encourage an evaluation of the placement of ammunition warehouses if their location is too close to residential areas," said Hasanuddin to Tempo on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
According to him, if the location of the ammunition warehouse no longer meets the safe distance standard, the warehouse needs to be relocated from residential areas. This step is necessary to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
Series of TNI Ammunition Explosions
The explosion at the TNI AD Ammunition Warehouse II in Madiun is not the first incident to occur. Between 2024 and 2025, there were at least three ammunition explosion incidents that caused casualties and damage.
Firstly, an explosion occurred at the TNI AD Kodam Jaya Ammunition Warehouse in Ciangsana Village, Gunung Putri District, Bogor Regency, West Java, on Saturday, March 30, 2024. There were no casualties in that incident. The explosion originated from Ammunition Warehouse No. 6 that had previously emitted smoke. The warehouse stored expired ammunition estimated to be over 10 years old.
Secondly, a mortar bomb explosion occurred during a Brimob personnel training at the Brimob Unit Headquarters, Subden Jibom Gegana Detachment, Surabaya Brimob Sat, on March 4, 2025. The incident resulted in 10 personnel being injured.
Thirdly, the TNI AD Pusat Amunisi III in Cibalong District, Garut Regency, West Java, exploded on Monday, May 12, 2025. The explosion occurred while TNI AD personnel were destroying unusable ammunition. The incident resulted in the deaths of 13 people, including four TNI AD soldiers and nine civilians.
Hendrik Yaputra and Andi Adam contributed to the writing of this article.
Read: One Soldier Dead After TNI Ammunition Warehouse Blast
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