Witnesses report flash before powerful house explosion in Medan; gas leak suspected

A powerful explosion ripped through the Grand Polonia housing complex in Medan, Indonesia, destroying one home and damaging six others. The blast, which occurred Monday afternoon, left residents in shock, with debris scattering across the area.

Wiwin, a construction worker who was resting nearby, described seeing a flash of light just moments before the deafening explosion. "We were just sitting here, having coffee. Suddenly there was like a white light or flash entering that house. Not long after, a loud explosion was heard, 'boom'," he recounted. The force of the blast was immense, causing building materials and glass shards to fly as far as his location, injuring him and his colleagues.

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We were just sitting here, having coffee. Suddenly there was like a white light or flash entering that house. Not long after, a loud explosion was heard, 'boom'.

While the exact cause remains under investigation, initial findings by authorities point to a potential gas leak from an underground pipeline. "From the initial investigation that is still ongoing, a leak from an underground gas pipe has been found," stated Kombes Pol Jean Calvijn Simanjuntak, the Medan Police Chief, at the scene. Teams detected gas presence using a detector in the most heavily damaged areas, fueling the leak theory. The house, a three-story building, reportedly had about four domestic workers inside at the time of the incident.

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From the initial investigation that is still ongoing, a leak from an underground gas pipe has been found.