Accidental airport shooting injures four

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Four airline passengers were injured Friday by bullet fragments after a soldier's firearm accidentally discharged at Polonia airport in Medan, North Sumatra.

According to police, the soldier was checking in his firearm at the Garuda Indonesia counter when the accident occurred.

A bullet was discharged into the ground during a routine inspection of the weapon by an airport staff member. The bullet fragmented, injuring four nearby Batavia Air passengers who were checking in for a flight to Jakarta.

The four -- identified as Alman, Bayu Prayitno, Hasanuddin and Usman, all Deli Serdang regency residents -- suffered injuries to their necks, hands and legs.

All four were taken to Elisabeth hospital in Medan. There was no information on their status as of Friday night.

Batavia Air official Erwanto said the airline would not cover the hospital costs of the four, because it was not at fault in the accident.

"It is not our responsibility, since the mistake was not ours," Erwanto said.

Garuda Indonesia's general manager in Medan, Yona Mardiona, said Friday the company had yet to receive details of the accident and could not comment.

A Batavia Air staff member, Agus Lubis, said this was the third such incident at the airport of a firearm accidentally discharging while being checked in.

No injuries were reported in the first two incidents, he added, without offering details on when these earlier incidents occurred.

Medan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang Sukamto said the firearm that accidentally discharged was issued to Sgt. Kodek.

He said the magazine was removed from the weapon before it was checked in, but a bullet was mistakenly left in the chamber.

"The case is still being investigated by the police and military police. We are still trying to determine whether the soldier was negligent or not," Bambang told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said the airport staff member who inspected the firearm had been taken to Medan Police Headquarters for questioning.

Sergeant Kodek, he said, had been taken to the Bukit Barisan military command.