JAKARTA, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian national
Police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri said that nine people were killed
and 55 others were wounded by suicide bombings as two luxurious hotels, Ritz
Carlton and JW Marriot, were hit Friday morning.
People run following a blast at the
Marriot Hotel in central Jakarta July 17, 2009. Six people were killed in
nearly simultaneous explosions at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Marriott
Hotel in central Jakarta on Friday, Indonesian police said. Jakarta police
spokesman Chrysnanda Dwilaksana said he could not confirm if the blasts
were caused by bombs. A Jakarta hospital official said 10 people had been
brought in for treatment. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
"After investigation on the scene, it has been known
two perpetrators of the suicide bombings," Hendarso told a press conference at
the site of the bombings.
He said, "the evidence in JW Marriot Hotel was
undamaged but that of in Ritz Carlton upper part of head skull was separated."
The explosion occurred in a business center Mega
Kuningan of Jakarta, according to officials.
Minister for Politics, Law and Security said early
that 8 people were killed on the spot.
"Six of them killed in JW
Marriot Hotel and two others in Ritz Carlton," the minister told reporters at
the site of the blasts.
Among the victims were the nationals of Japan, New
Zealand, Canadian, South Korea and India, according to reports from hospitals
said.
The first blast took place at 07:55 Jakarta time
(0055 GMT) and minutes later the second one occurred, before the hotel were
opened.
An eye witness said she saw at least three foreigners
with blood on their bodies were carried out to an ambulance. The wounded persons
were rushed to the nearby MMC Jakarta Hospital and Medistra Hospital.
In the MMC Jakarta Hospital, there were two
foreigners out of ten wounded people. One foreigner has been shifted to
Pertamina Hospital and the other is undergoing surgery.
The explosions broke windows at
the hotels while huge sound were heard, the witness said. A television footage
of Metro TV showed part of the front windows of the Ritz Carlton Hotel were
broken and some guests with sleeping clothes were still outside the building.
The damaged exterior of the JW Marriott
hotel is seen after an explosion in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 17, 2009. Two
explosions occurred at the Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott hotels
respectively in Jakarta on Friday morning, killing at least 9 people and
wounding more than 50 others, an Indonesian minister said.
(Xinhua) Photo
Gallery>>>
A witness named only Yanuar who survived the blast in
Marriot Hotel said that the blast occurred at the lobby of the hotel. "I was
smashed a few meters away, " he said.
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 buildings around the hotels and are combing the sites, searching for
other victims.
Manchester United team, which planned to stay in the
hotel on Saturday for its exhibition game on Monday, finally aborted its plan,
Metro television said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who were earlier
reported that would visit the blast site, canceled his plan after National
Police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri warned him of the unsafe situation.
After a special meeting with security officials, the
president told the press that the blasts were an act of terrorism and called on
the nation to take a stern action against those perpetrators.
"I strongly condemn this inhuman terrorist acts," he
said. "I have instructed law enforcement to punish whoever is involved in this
terror act, regardless of their political background."
"I am confident those perpetrators would be arrested
and brought to judiciary. I pledge the nation will take a stern action against
those perpetrators," he added.
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.
