An Indonesian man has been hospitalized following an unexpected tragedy in the bathroom.
Last Friday, SY, a 26-year-old man from Wajo, South Sulawesi, went to relieve himself in the toilet of the kost (boarding house) where he stayed. As he was defecating, he lit up a cigarette, which triggered an explosion.
“The area smelled of gas [prior to the explosion],” Wajo Police Chief Fatchur Rochman said on Sunday.
The gas, authorities believe, emanated from a septic tank that was located underground beneath the toilet.
The resulting explosion was reportedly so loud that it sent panic throughout the neighborhood. Footage of the aftermath shows extensive damage to the toilet and the surrounding rooms.
SY was rushed to a nearby hospital for intensive treatment. A photo published today showed him on the hospital bed with bandages wrapped around most of his body in order to treat his burn injuries.
This wasn’t the first septic tank-related tragedy in Indonesia. In 2019, a plumber was killed when an underground septic tank that had accumulated decades worth of waste exploded.
In light of the incident, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) warned that highly-flammable methane gas may build up in septic tanks. While the gas is generally harmless in small quantities, homeowners must ensure that their septic tanks have an outlet for the gas to escape.
