Jakarta: At least 20 people are feared dead and several others injured in a major blaze that ripped through a seven-storey office building in Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Tuesday, Reuters has reported.
There was panic among locals and office workers in nearby buildings in the central Jakarta neighbourhood as thick, black smoke billowed into the sky. Flames could be spotted spreading inside the building.
Central Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro told reporters that the fire has been extinguished, and efforts are underway to search for more possible victims inside the building,
The blaze apparently started on the first floor around midday and quickly spread to the upper levels. Some employees were having lunch inside, while others had stepped out of the office when the fire broke out, he said.
The death toll reached 20 by the afternoon. Operations are now underway to cool down the building so rescuers may enter safely and bring out survivors of any, Condro said. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Officials said that the building houses Terra Drone Indonesia, a company that provides drones for aerial surveys to sectors ranging from mining to agriculture. It is the Indonesian arm of Japan-based Terra Drone Corporation, the company’s website says.
in footage aired by Kompas TV, dozens of firefighters can be seen evacuating people, with some carrying body bags out of the building. Several workers were also seen escaping from higher floors using portable ladders.
Recently, 160 people died after a fire broke out at a multi-storied housing complex in Hong Kong. On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, 25 people were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in Goa, India.
