Jakarta, Oct. 15 -- Indonesia's Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq confirmed on Wednesday that negligence by PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT) led to cesium-137 radioactive contamination in the Cikande industrial area of Serang, Banten Province.

The radioactive waste originated from scrap material stored at the company's facility, Nurofiq said.

"An investigation has concluded, and a criminal probe is now underway. All the contaminated scrap was produced and improperly stored by PT PMT. No one expected cesium, but this was a clear case of negligence," he said.

Nurofiq, who also heads the Cs-137 Radiation Task Force, said decontamination has been completed at 22 factories. Cleanup is ongoing at 10 more locations to eliminate radioac...