Mysterious explosion rocks Sudirman area

JAKARTA (JP): Passersby were stunned by an unidentified explosion at a vacant plot sandwiched between the city police headquarters and the Jakarta Stock Exchange on Jl. Sudirman on Tuesday afternoon.

Police had not made an official announcement on the blast or disclosed preliminary findings by Tuesday night.

Witnesses said the explosion occurred at about 3:20 p.m., shocking motorists, employees from the surrounding Central Business District and police officers.

Dozens of officers were quickly dispatched to the site, combing the area for remnants from the blast. Billowing smoke continued to rise as they conducted their search.

The newly installed head of the city police detective unit, Col. Alex Bambang Riatmojo, who led the search, said he found nothing conclusive.

"We don't know what it was but we'll comb the area thoroughly later."

Alex pointed to a pile of garbage as the likely site of the explosion.

Several construction workers building a ditch just 50 meters from the site said they saw nothing except thick white smoke shortly after the blast.

"We were digging inside the tunnel when we heard the explosion," one of the workers, Budiman, said. "It was like an earthquake inside.

"I thought it was a bomb exploding at the police headquarters."

In the bustling heart of the CBD, the area is the site of many major office buildings, popular restaurants and several hotels.

Motorists slowed down to watch the search, causing minor traffic congestion along Jl. Sudirman, especially in front of the police headquarters. (emf)