76 killed in Bogor market fire

76 killed in Bogor market fire

BOGOR, West Java (JP): At least 76 people were killed in a
department store inferno at the Pasar Kebon Kembang market
complex on Thursday, authorities confirmed yesterday.

Deputy Chief of Bogor Police Precinct Maj. Dewa Parsana said
the death toll at the Ramayana Department Store is expected to
increase.

Up to 140 people were reported to be in the building, located
on Jl. Dewi Sartika, when the fire broke out at 5:30 a.m., police
said. As of late yesterday, after 32 hours, firefighters had yet
to extinguish the blaze.

The remains of the bodies, most of them only ashes, were
placed in bags and sent to the Red Cross Hospital.

Hospital staff said as of yesterday afternoon they had
received 76 bags, but some of them may contain more than one
body.

Only seven of the fire victims have been identified. They are
Yosi Anggraini, 18, Partini, 22, Nurhasnah, 22, Sarnah, 24,
Muslimah, 22, Yanti, 24, and Eki Rostini, 23, Antara reported.

At the morgue, relatives who have missing family members
crowded around the entrance, looking confused as to how to
identify the bodies. Accessories such as watches and jewelry were
the main clues to identity, but hospital staff remained in doubt.

Ramayana spokesman Setyadi Surya said 264 employees were
listed for yesterday's morning shift, while employees said 256
shop attendants usually work on Thursday morning.

Only 11 workers have been reported missing so far.

The workers on the morning shift were assigned to check
merchandise before the store opened.

Dr. Andikia, who was involved in the rescue team, said there
is little chance of finding more bodies.

At 4 p.m. yesterday, Maj. Dewa Parsana, the rescue team
leader, decided to call off the search on the third floor, where
the bodies were found. The search will resume tomorrow on the
second and ground floors.

The fire, believed to be the most tragic in the country's
history, might have originated from an electrical short circuit
on the third floor, which sells garments, investigators said.

Lt. Col. Zainal Abidin, the precinct chief, said the regional
manager of Ramayana, Imam Pranoto, and another manager, Yosef
have been questioned. No one has been arrested.

Eyewitnesses and a survivor, Ramayana employee Hendar, said
the fire broke out in Blok B on the top floor, which consists of
five blocks. The fire destroyed the whole floor and the lower
stories.

Antara reported Thursday there were no fatalities, but most
papers reported yesterday that 13 people had been found dead by
3 p.m. that day.

The market building was constructed in 1989. Before
renovation, the market place was called Pasar Anyar.

Alamsyah, head of the Bogor market authority said earlier that
the market had caught fire five times previously. The latest fire
was in 1987, Kompas reported.

Firefighters complained of difficulty getting into the
building as all corridors were blocked by shops.

They also found that nearby hydrants dry so they had to seek
water far from the blaze.

A Ramayana employee told the Post that workers entered the
shops through one main door.

A trader, Koswara, said that it is usual for only one door to
be open during the stock packing checks which occur every three
weeks.

The workers failed to reach the exit when trying to escape
from the fire.

"We saw them trapped and some of them tried to jump," Koswara
said. Witnesses were prevented from approaching the building
during the fire by security people.

The Bogor store is one of 43 outlets in 15 towns, owned by PT
Ramayana Lestari Sentosa. The company employs 15,000 workers,
mostly female. Led by Paulus Tumewu, the company also owns the
Robinson department store chain. Both are aimed at buyers of
middle to lower income levels.

In January the Warta Ekonomi business magazine reported that
the assets of the Ramayana and Robinson stores reach Rp 400
billion (US$171,16 million), with revenues of Rp 409 billion last
year.

Set up as a small store in 1974, the company is listed among
300 top companies by the Indonesian Business Data Center.

Another fire which killed workers trapped in a building
occurred in 1987. Twenty-one garment factory workers were killed
in the Tambora district, West Jakarta. (04/03/anr/sur)

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