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At least 9 killed in blasts at Jakarta hotels

Two explosions occurred at the Ritz Carlton and Marriott hotels respectively in Jakarta on Friday morning, killing at least 9 people and wounding more than 50 others, an Indonesian minister said.

"Six of them were killed in JW Marriot Hotel and two others in Ritz Carlton," Minister for Politics, Law and Security Widodo AS told reporters at the side of blast.

The minister said that nearly a half of the victims were foreigners.

Among the victims were Westerners including Japanese and New Zealand citizen, the radio station said.

The minister said that the first blast took place at 6:45 Jakarta time (2345 GMT Thursday) and two minutes later the second one occurred, before the hotels were opened.

One New Zealand citizen of 60 years working for the PT Holchim company died in the Medistra Hospital in Jakarta, the radio station said.

The deaths shocked family members of the victims who are waiting outside the hospital.

An eyewitness said she saw at least three foreigners with blood on their bodies were carried out to an ambulance. The wounded persons were rushed to nearby MMC Jakarta Hospital and the Medistra Hospital.

In the MMC Jakarta Hospital there were two foreigners out of ten wounded people. One foreigner has been shifted to the Pertamina Hospital.

One New Zealand citizen of 60 years working for the Freeport company died in Medistra Hospital in Jakarta, Elshinta radio reported.

The death shocked family members of the victims who are waiting outside the hospital.

The explosions broke windows at the hotels, the witness said. Atelevision footage of Metro TV showed part of the front windows of the Ritz Carlton Hotel was broken. Several westerners with sleeping clothes are still outside the hotel.
Another witness named only Yanuar who survived the blast in the Marriott Hotel said that the blast occurred at the lobby of the hotel.

In the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the explosion took place at the Erlangga Restaurant at the third floor.

Police evacuated employees of the two hotels and office building around the hotels and are combing the sites, searching for other victims.

It is still unclear whether the blasts were caused by bombs. A police special bomb squad is checking the blasts.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and National Police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri are to visit the sites, a text message from the Statte Palace and the television said. President Susilo expressed his concern over the blasts.

The Ritz Carlton Hotel would be the place where British football team Manchester United team stay during its part of Asiantour in Jakarta scheduled on July 19 - 20.

In August 2003, the Marriott Hotel was hit by terrorist suicide bombings believed from the Southeast Asia terrorist network of Jemaah Islmiyah, killing scores of people.

Source: Xinhua
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