Jakarta, July 17: Bombs minutes apart ripped through two luxury hotels in Jakarta today, killing nine and wounding at least 50 more, ending a four-year lull in terror attacks in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. At least 14 foreigners were among the dead and wounded.
The blasts at the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels, located side-by-side in an upscale business district in the capital, blew out windows and scattered debris and glass across the street, kicking up a thick plume of smoke. Facades of both hotels were reduced to twisted metal.
Alex Asmasubrata, who was jogging nearby, said he walked into the Marriott before emergency services arrived and “there were bodies on the ground, one of them had no stomach,” he said. “It was terrible.”
–Agencies