Five reported killed in Jakarta hotel blast....

[Violet_Crumble]

A huge blast that tore through the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta today killed five people and seriously wounded five, Indonesian police said.

``So far five people have been severely wounded, five are dead,'' Jakarta police detective Andi Chaeruddin told Reuters.

Asked to confirm that the blast originated from the hotel's basement, he said: ``Yes, at the Marriott.''

<snip>

It was not immediately clear whether the blast was the result of a bomb.

However, since last year's terrorist bombings in Bali, which killed 202 people, local and international authorities have warned that more attacks were likely in Indonesia.

"I heard a big bang and I tried to get out of the building as quickly as possible," said Asroni, a hotel staffer, as he picked bits of glass from his uniform. "The smoke was getting into my lungs."

Black smoke could be seen rising from the front of the hotel, located in a district where many foreign embassies are housed, an Associated Press reporter on the scene said.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/05/1060064167628.html

[bemildred]

1. Don't seem to be making forward progress here, do we?

[newyorican]

2. US Embassy Cancels booking 5 hrs before blast

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=53029&mesg_id=53029

Story in Indonesian

Translation: US Embassy cancelled the booking of Marriott Hotel 4.5 hours before the explosion There was something interesting happened just hours before the explosion shocked the JW Marriott Hotel, Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta. The US Embassy cancelled the booking of 10-20 rooms in that hotel. The cancellation was on 8.00 West Indonesian Time, Tuesday, or only 4.5 hours before the explosion. full translation

:tinfoilhat: