Churchgoers devastated by Sunday bomb incident<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As the priest delivered a sermon on peace at
\nSanta Anna Church in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, on Sunday, a bomb
\nexploded under one of the pews in the back of the church.<\/p>\n
The blast injured at least 70 people. The victims included a
\nseven-month-old infant, a four-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy
\nwho suffered grievous injuries to his hip, a 19-year-old woman
\nwho suffered severe burns and is in critical condition, a
\n61-year-old nun and a number of others who suffered broken bones.<\/p>\n
The blast also shattered most of the windows in the church and
\ndamaged a portion of its ceiling and most of its pews.<\/p>\n
\"We were listening to the priest talking about the meaning of
\npeace and living in peace .... One minute we were listening, the
\nnext minute there was this very loud blast ... at about 7 a.m.,\"
\nHerman, who was in the congregation, said about two hours after
\nthe blast.<\/p>\n
At almost the same time, the congregation at the Jatiwaringin
\nBatak Christian Protestant Church was shocked by a bomb that
\nexploded inside an empty minivan parked outside the church. The
\nvehicle was destroyed and a child was slightly injured.<\/p>\n
\"The (Santa Anna) blast stunned everybody in the church ....
\nRev. Surya Suryatmaja stopped preaching. There was so much
\nscreaming. People were shouting 'Help Me! Help me!' The church
\nwent dark. There was black smoke all around,\" Herman said.<\/p>\n
\"We didn't know where the smoke was coming from. People who
\nwere not on the floor crying or helping someone in the dark ran
\nout of the church. It was terrible.\"<\/p>\n
Seven-month-old Stefani and two-year-old Puteri were treated
\nfor their injuries at Saint Carolus Hospital and released. The
\ndistraught father of 11-year-old Aubert Conelly is still waiting
\nfor news on his son, who underwent surgery for injuries he
\nreceived when his hip was pierced by splinters of wood torn off
\nby the blast from the pew he was sitting on.<\/p>\n
Aubert's mother, Victoriana Diana Arsita Dewi, is also
\nreceiving treatment for serious head injuries she received in the
\nblast.<\/p>\n
Another victim, Mrs. Yopi, said she had been praying when the
\nbomb exploded.<\/p>\n
\"There was blood and even in the dark you could see the small
\nmarks or holes in people's legs from the blast. I was so
\nconfused ... for a second I didn't know where I was. I just ran
\nout of there,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Police officers found pieces of tiny steel pellets, known as
\ngotri, near both crime scenes, indicating that both bombs had
\nbeen packed with the pellets.<\/p>\n
\"Gotri pierces the skin and tears everything apart inside,\" an
\nofficer said.<\/p>\n
Victim Theresia Tri Suhartati, 24, who suffered severe wounds
\nto both her legs, said she saw something falling from the ceiling
\nand then there was a \"huge explosion\".<\/p>\n
\"Right after the explosion, I could not hear or see. I thought
\nI had gone blind. Even now I still can't see clearly,\" Theresia
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
A couple who were planning on getting married soon were
\nshocked when the man looked down and saw that his legs were
\n\"destroyed\".<\/p>\n
According to hospital records, seven victims are still in the
\nsurgery ward of Saint Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta, while
\nfour others are in the surgery ward of Mitra Keluarga Hospital in
\nEast Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Political leaders, including People's Consultative Assembly
\nSpeaker Amien Rais, Alvin Lie, Fuad Bawazier and A.M. Fatwa, who
\nvisited Santa Anna Church at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday were verbally
\nattacked by local residents and churchgoers.<\/p>\n
\"You people engage in conflicts and we have to suffer. Because
\nof you small children and adults who know nothing about your
\npolitics were hurt,\" a person shouted from the crowd.<\/p>\n
\"How could you come here and just talk! Do you even realize
\nwhat happened ... ? This is a church that was bombed,\" another
\nperson cried out. (ylt\/prb\/rsl\/06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/churchgoers-devastated-by-sunday-bomb-incident-1447893297",
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