19 killed in shop fire

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Nineteen people died and dozens others were hospitalized when they were trapped in a fire that razed a shopping center and theater building in the South Sumatran capital Monday evening.

The injured victims are still in intensive care at AK Gani General Hospital in the city.

Two bodies, identified as Abdurachim and Rozali, were found on Monday. They were asphyxiated after becoming trapped in the gutted theater building.

Rescue workers found the other 17 bodies yesterday. Two out of the 17 bodies were identified as Dri Kason, 33, and Sutopo, 20.

Rescue workers are still going through the wreckage and say that the number of casualties could very well increase since they estimate there were about 40 people trapped in the shopping center.

Local police said that the fire might have been caused by a short circuit.

The municipal fire brigade deployed 14 fire trucks to extinguish the fire which was still raging early yesterday morning. (rms)