The Sydney Morning Herald, September 9, 2004 - 2:44PM
Australian embassy blast kills three
A powerful explosion near the Australian embassy in Jakarta killed at least three
people Thursday and left "many" wounded, witnesses and officials said.
The source of the blast in Jakarta's business district was not immediately known.
An AP photographer on the scene saw at least three dismembered bodies on the
wide six-lane street close to the embassy.
Four cars and the mission's high metal fence were damaged. The windows of several
surrounding high-rise buildings were smashed.
A doctor at a nearby hospital said "many injured" had been admitted as a result of the
blast.
Australia, the United States and several other countries have recently warned that
Muslim militants may be planning new attacks in Indonesia.
In the same neighbourhood last year, 12 people died in a suicide attack on the JW
Marriott hotel.
In 2002, more than two hundred people died in an attack on two nightclubs on the
tourist island of Bali.
No embassy workers were wounded in the explosion, said Lyndall Sachs, a
spokeswoman for the Australian foreign ministry in Canberra.
The embassy's windows were shattered and power was down, she said. The mission
has been evacuated.
Police in Jakarta declined to comment on the source of the blast.
© 2004 AP
Copyright © 2004. The Sydney Morning Herald.
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