Mysterious explosion rocks Sudirman area

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)