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Car bomb explodes at Jakarta stock exchange |
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September 14, 2000
JAKARTA (AP) - A car bomb ripped through an underground garage in the Jakarta Stock Exchange building Wednesday, killing one man and injuring at least 23 people, police said. "The blast came from a parked car," said Jakarta police spokesman Lt. Col. Nur Usman. The explosion happened 45 minutes before the business day ended. The underground parking lot was packed with hundreds of cars and dozens of drivers waiting for their stockbrokers and other executives to finish work. The bourse closed at its lowest point this year as more than 1,000 workers were hastily evacuated from the office block in the capital's downtown after the explosion. Dozens of firefighters doused the underground flames as smoke billowed from the basement. Several hours after the blast, they brought out the body of a man on a stretcher. Firefighters said most of the smoke came from dozens of burning vehicles. They said the fuel tanks of several cars had exploded inside the garage. There were fears for the safety of an undetermined number of people trapped in the basement. Search and rescue coordinator Boedel said attempts to reach those trapped had been hampered by thick and acrid smoke. Rudi Herawanto, a driver who was on the first level of the parking garage at the time of the explosion, said the blast occurred on the level below him, where a snack bar catered to waiting chauffeurs. The state Antara news agency said the bomb was planted in a Toyota Kijang van left in the car park. "I was in my office on the 20th floor," said Feri Indrianto, a stockbroker who was among the evacuees. "I felt a big blast and heard a loud bang." A spokesman at nearby Pertamina hospital said 23 casualties had been brought in. The building is on the capital's main downtown avenue, and the mayhem brought afternoon traffic in downtown Jakarta to a standstill. Police said they had ordered the stock exchange to suspend operations for the rest of the week while they investigate the incident. Indonesia has been hit by a series of unexplained bomb blasts in recent weeks in Jakarta and other major cities. On Aug. 1, a powerful bomb exploded outside the residence of Philippine Ambassador Leonides Caday, killing two people and injuring dozens, including the envoy. Security concerns were heightened in Jakarta when a small bomb exploded last month inside an unoccupied bus less that 300 meters (yards) from the converted court building in which former dictator Suharto is being tried on corruption charges. No one was injured and damage was minimal. Suharto's case goes before a court again Thursday, when his doctors will be questioned about whether he is fit to stand trial. |