Front Page   

Blast rocks Jakarta hotel

By P. S. Suryanarayana

— AP

Smoke billows from the J.W. Marriott Hotel as firefighters fight to control a fire after a powerful explosion shook the luxury hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday. — AP

SINGAPORE Aug. 5. Ten persons were killed and over 90 injured when a bomb blast shook a luxury hotel in Jakarta today. Authorities said the toll in the suspected case of "suicide bombing'' in the Indonesian capital might go up.

The carnage at the hotel, reckoned to have been caused by a car-bomb explosion, is the most serious act of terrorism in Indonesia since the Bali blast last October that has claimed the lives of over 200, mostly foreigners.

The brunt of the fierce explosion was felt at the lobby of the J.W. Marriott Hotel, and the windowpanes as high as those on the 20th floor of the building were shattered. Police said the blast had also damaged 22 vehicles. There were no reports of any Indian nationals — a few of them were in the hotel — among the dead or injured.

Contacted by The Hindu over telephone, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Marty Natalegawa, said: "We are now trying hard to enlighten ourselves.... (and) we are gathering information (about the latest blast)... While it is still to be confirmed, it seems the explosives (used) were found in a car''. Not willing to blame any group at this stage, he said: "You are aware of high-profile court cases coming to conclusion in (respect of) Bali''. The Jemaah Islamiyah, a suspected South East Asian affiliate of the Al-Qaeda, has been blamed for the Bali bombings.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• CEC rejects concept of simultaneous polls
• Not influencing CBI: PM
• Blast rocks Jakarta hotel
• Residues of toxic pesticides in 12 soft drink brands: CSE
• MPs take up Ibrahim case
• Quake jolts Gujarat
• Five killed in copter crash
• Sentenced
• 2 AI flights to China
• Proceedings stayed

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu