This Article is From Jul 17, 2009

Twin blasts in Jakarta hotels; 9 killed

Twin blasts in Jakarta hotels; 9 killed

AP image

Jakarta:

Blasts ripped through two luxury hotels in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Friday morning killing at least nine people and injuring over 50.

Huge explosion tore through the Marriot and Ritz Carlton in the busy business area of the city.

Eyewitnesses said they first heard a loud explosion at the Marriott, and five minutes later, another explosion came from the Ritz.

Police have sealed off the area around the hotels. Jakarta police said all the victims were foreigners.

The facade of one of the hotels had been torn off by the blast and there is debris and shattered glass littered on the street outside the hotels.

A Ritz Carlton employee said the Manchester United soccer team had been due to stay at the hotel ahead of an exhibition game in Indonesia early next week.

Meanwhile, people are pouring in at the hospitals in Jakarta. Several ambulances are bringing in the injured from the two hotels. Most of the injured are coming in from the Marriott hotel.

All the dead are also reportedly from the Marriott. Casualties are rising as the hotels are in upmarket busy areas with many foreign tourists around.

The explosions come two weeks after presidential elections in Indonesia. Reports suggest there were intelligence inputs on the attacks.

.