an3sdej
05-08-03, 09:41
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3124919.stm
Blast hits top Jakarta hotel
Thick smoke and flames were seen billowing from the hotel
An explosion has rocked the Marriott Hotel in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, killing several people, witnesses say.
A bomb is suspected to have caused the blast, which is reported to have severely damaged five floors of the building.
Jakarta police detective Andi Chaeruddin told Reuters that "five people have been severely wounded, five are dead".
He said the blast had originated from the hotel's basement.
"There was a big explosion. I cannot yet say whether it's because of a bomb or something else," he said.
"There are a lot of cars damaged."
Unconfirmed reports put the death toll even higher.
Staff and guests have been evacuated from the hotel, which is located near foreign embassies and office blocks.
A reporter from Jakarta's El Shinta radio station said he had seen four badly burned bodies on the street where two cars were on fire nearby.
The hotel lobby's plate glass windows were shattered and flames and thick clouds of smoke could be seen billowing from the ground floor of the building.
High-profile trials
The blast came just two days before the expected verdict in the trial of a key suspect in last October's devastating Bali bombing.
Security has been tight in Indonesia since the Bali bombings killed 202 people and authorities have warned of similar threats.
A number of high-profile court cases are taking place in Indonesia this week.
A final verdict is due in the East Timor tribunal on Tuesday, while in another courtroom the radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir is taking the stand at his own trial.
In a few days' time the verdict is due in the trial of Bali bomb suspect Amrozi bin Nurhasyim.
Blast hits top Jakarta hotel
Thick smoke and flames were seen billowing from the hotel
An explosion has rocked the Marriott Hotel in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, killing several people, witnesses say.
A bomb is suspected to have caused the blast, which is reported to have severely damaged five floors of the building.
Jakarta police detective Andi Chaeruddin told Reuters that "five people have been severely wounded, five are dead".
He said the blast had originated from the hotel's basement.
"There was a big explosion. I cannot yet say whether it's because of a bomb or something else," he said.
"There are a lot of cars damaged."
Unconfirmed reports put the death toll even higher.
Staff and guests have been evacuated from the hotel, which is located near foreign embassies and office blocks.
A reporter from Jakarta's El Shinta radio station said he had seen four badly burned bodies on the street where two cars were on fire nearby.
The hotel lobby's plate glass windows were shattered and flames and thick clouds of smoke could be seen billowing from the ground floor of the building.
High-profile trials
The blast came just two days before the expected verdict in the trial of a key suspect in last October's devastating Bali bombing.
Security has been tight in Indonesia since the Bali bombings killed 202 people and authorities have warned of similar threats.
A number of high-profile court cases are taking place in Indonesia this week.
A final verdict is due in the East Timor tribunal on Tuesday, while in another courtroom the radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir is taking the stand at his own trial.
In a few days' time the verdict is due in the trial of Bali bomb suspect Amrozi bin Nurhasyim.