JAYAPURA: The Papua Police have revealed that two employees of mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia who died when their car exploded on Monday had actually been shot before the explosion.
The police said that the finding was based on X-ray photos of the victims that revealed bullet fragments inside the bodies.
“The first victim, Nasyum Simorfiaref, was found outside of the car with a gaping wound in his neck. And based on the X-rays, we found metal fragments that are believed to be bullets,” Sn. Comr. Wachyono, the spokesman of the Papua Police Office, said in Jayapura on Tuesday.
The body of the second victim, Thomas Bagensa, whose body was burned inside the car, also contained bullet fragments, Wachyono said. The two victims were employees of PT Kuala Pelabuhan Indonesia, which is one of PT Freeport’s sub-contractor companies.
“When the car, bound from Kuala to Tembagapura, passed Mile 51, it came under heavy fire until it rolled over. The car then caught fire,” he said.