Six in hospital after blast
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Six people were still in hospital on Monday following the explosion of a gas pipe at Supermal Karawaci, which caused thousands of people to flee in panic on Sunday.
Heru Nasution, general manager of the mall, said that 18 people were taken to hospital, but 12 were allowed to return home after receiving medical treatment. A technician working for the mall's management and a visitor both suffered serious wounds and were hospitalized at the Siloam Gleaneagleas hospital, while four others were brought to the Qad'ar hospital.
"We will cover all the medical expenses," Heru said.
The incident took place when employees of Sapo Garden restaurant were moving from the food court on the ground floor to a new outlet on the first floor. In the process, they managed to cause a leak in the gas pipe at the counter.
A technician was trying to fix the problem when the pipe suddenly exploded at 5:05 p.m., shattering the glass at the front of the food outlet. Two employees of the restaurant, two visitors, a security guard from the nearby Timezone entertainment center, which is located on the same floor, and several employees of the mall management were injured.
The restaurant owner and her three employees were questioned by the police for their alleged negligence over the incident, according to Heru.
The noise of the explosion and the thick smoke caused thousands of people to flee in panic as they thought there was a bomb. A visitor said that the frame of a ride in the Timezone entertainment center fell down.
Heru denied any problem at Timezone and said that the mall opened again on Sunday at 7 p.m.
"It is business as usual today," he said.
He admitted, though, that there had been a decline in the number of visitors.
The mall, which celebrated its third anniversary on Saturday, attracts an average of 30,000 people daily at weekdays, while the number doubles at weekends.
Visitors to Timezone apparently worried about a repetition of what happened in the Taman Ria entertainment park in 1999, when a roller coaster was stuck for hours.