Paradise island hit again<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
At least 23 people, including foreigners, were killed and 90
\nothers injured when a fresh terror attack rocked Bali on
\nSaturday, nearly three years after bombs hit the famous resort
\nisland.<\/p>\n
As of midnight local time, Sanglah General Hospital in
\nDenpasar had received 13 bodies, while another 10 bodies were
\nreceived at the private Graha Asih Hospital, mostly Indonesians,
\nalso in the Bali capital.<\/p>\n
Among the casualties were an Australian and a Japanese.
\nAustralian foreign minister Alexander Downer confirmed the death
\nof at least one Australian.<\/p>\n
Most of the bodies remained unidentified.<\/p>\n
The death toll may well increase as rescue workers also
\nadmitted blast victims to Kasih Ibu Hospital and the Bali
\nInternational Medical Center.<\/p>\n
The first two blasts went off almost simultaneously at Kafe
\nNyoman and nearby Kafe Menega in a crowded seafood night market
\non Jimbaran Beach at around 6.50 p.m. local time, with the third
\nexploding in Raja's noodle and steak house in downtown Kuta 10
\nminutes later. Jimbaran and Kuta are about five kilometers apart.<\/p>\n
Kuta was the target of major bombings on Oct. 12, 2002, which
\nleft 202 people dead, mainly Australians.<\/p>\n
The explosions took place just three days before the major
\nHindu festival of Galungan, the celebration of the victory of
\ngood over evil.<\/p>\n
The police bomb squad who combed the blast sites discovered
\nfour more bombs which failed to explode.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that three smaller explosions had also
\noccurred.<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono summoned his top security
\nofficials shortly after the attacks and ordered them to increase
\nvigilance across the country.<\/p>\n
Steve Kendall, one of the survivors, said he and his family
\nwere having a dinner in Jimbaran when the first bomb went off.<\/p>\n
\"We heard a gigantic sound and we immediately ran out of the
\nrestaurant,\" he said. Kendall had to undergo surgery to remove
\nmetal shrapnel from his hand, while his wife suffered wounds to
\nher head.<\/p>\n
The family had just arrived from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"It was a carnage, I couldn't believe it,\" said a leader of
\nthe Kuta community, Bagiana Karang, who rushed to the blast sites
\nin Jimbaran.<\/p>\n
A local Muslim figure who helped victims of the 2002 bombings,
\nAgus Bambang P, was among public figures who coordinated rescue
\nefforts.<\/p>\n
Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Mangku Pastika led the
\npreliminary investigation, bringing with him the bomb squad and a
\nforensic team.<\/p>\n
\"It's too early to conclude anything. Give me more time to
\ngather information,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Two officers of the Australian Federal Police were helping
\nwith the investigation.<\/p>\n
The ground floor of the three-story Raja's noodle and steak
\nhouse in the crowded Kuta Square Arcade shopping center was
\nshattered, with doors torn off and chairs and tables destroyed as
\na result of the blast.<\/p>\n
The explosion also shattered windows and glass panels on
\ndozens of stores and buildings nearby. Glass shards and broken
\nmetal littered the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
Sutikno Soedarjo, a business executive associated with the
\nBali Hard Rock Cafe and Four Seasons Villas, told the Post the
\ntwo establishments were unaffected by the explosions.<\/p>\n
The anxiety and uncertainty that engulfed the island was
\nfurther aggravated by the breakdown in the cellular phone
\nnetwork, which prevented security officers, medical personnel and
\njournalists from relaying necessary information to their
\ncolleagues.<\/p>\n
With additional reporting by Rita Widiadana, I Wayan Juniartha
\nand Wahjoe Boediwardhana.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/paradise-island-hit-again-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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