A NEWLY drilled unregulated oil well in western Indonesia exploded into flames early today, burning 18 people to death and injuring dozens more.

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the well in Pasir Putih village in eastern Aceh province ignited at about 1.30am and firefighters were still struggling to extinguish the flames late in the afternoon. Five nearby houses were engulfed by the inferno.

Sutopo said the 820-foot-deep well was gushing when it ignited and many people were nearby trying to collect the oil, adding that 41 had been admitted to three hospitals.

“I woke up when a very loud explosion shook our house like an earthquake,” said Riska Sri Maulidyawati. “All our neighbours ran out to see what happened, but another loud explosion made everyone run away in panic.”

Local hospital director Edi Gunawan told Indonesian television that those admitted for treatment had burns over 20 to 60 per cent of their bodies.

Aceh, at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, has significant commercially untapped natural gas reserves and is dotted with illegal wells.