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Explosion rocks Jakarta
05/08/2003 08:29 - (SA)
Jakarta - An explosion tore through part of the luxury JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta's main business district on Tuesday leaving several people dead, witnesses said.
The blast damaged a restaurant and part of the lobby of the hotel in the Auningang district south of the city centre while window panels were shattered for several floors.
Flames could be seen burning from the ground floor of the hotel and several cars in front of the hotel lobby were also damaged.
The area was closed to the public as crowds gathered at the scene. Witnesses said they could see several dead bodies at the site. Nobody was answering the hotel's phone.
The BBC reported four deaths.
Police confirmed a blast took place but declined to confirm if it was caused by a bomb or to give further details.
The blast comes just two days before a court is due to hand down the first verdict in the trials of Islamic militants accused of carrying out the bombing of two nightclubs on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last year.
The Bali bombing killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers. It has been blamed on the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror organisation which is accused of links to the al-Qaeda network.
- AFP
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