'I saw body parts strewn around me,' says bombing witness

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ani glanced over at the group of police officers in front of the Australian Embassy in southern Jakarta while buying some noodles, like she did most mornings.

The 22-year-old parking attendant at the nearby Gracia Tower was comforted by their presence. A police car was parked not far away. It was 10 in the morning.

Fifteen minutes later, she vaguely noticed two cars moving slowly toward the embassy from the north. Just as her attention returned to her noodles, there was a big bang.

"Suddenly, everything was dark. I don't remember anything. I tried to get up but my head was bleeding. I saw that the cars were gone. People were screaming around me and the windows in all of the buildings were broken. Flesh, arms and legs were everywhere. Then, I was taken to the hospital," said Ani.

The earth shook from the explosion, she said.

"The street was not very crowded at the time. Several motorcycles and cars were passing by," she said.

Ani was one of the victims of the powerful car bomb that exploded on Thursday in front of the embassy, killing seven people and wounding over 160 others. Police are still verifying these casualty figures.

Police have blamed the bombing on Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), the Southeast Asian terror network linked to al-Qaeda. The group has been accused of several deadly bombings in the country, including the Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing in August last year in which 12 people were killed.

"When I passed the embassy building, I saw two motorbikes, each of which had two passengers, slowly running in front of me. They were carrying something but I was not sure what it was. Then, about 50 meters away from the embassy, I heard a huge explosion," said 29-year-old Salim.

Another witness, who was in one of the buildings near the embassy at the time of the explosion, said there were at least seven motorbikes destroyed in the blast.

"As soon as I heard the explosion, I ran outside and I saw body parts strewn around, some on the other side of the road across from the embassy. There were body parts in the trees," said Ivan.

"I screamed and tried to help but I couldn't move because of the shock," he said.

Prior to the blast, he said, he saw a yellow car being parked in front of a police car near the embassy.

Ivan said he saw what looked like a husband and a wife with their young son buried beneath destroyed motorcycles, screaming for help.

"I was too shocked to help them. I don't know the number of bodies around me, but there were a lot of body parts," he said.

Nurdin, 49, the foreman at a construction site just across from the embassy, was shaken by what he saw in the attack.

"I heard a huge explosion but I didn't know where it came from. Suddenly, a lot of debris can showering down on me. I shouted at the top of my voice as I saw legs, hands, heads, all without bodies, falling down all around me," he said.

Ani, Ivan and Nurdin saw things they may never be able to forget, but they still feel lucky to have survived the bombing without serious injury.

"I am afraid I won't be able to forget the flesh and bones that were scattered around me for weeks to come. Hopefully, I will still be able to eat after this horrible experience," Ivan said.