No South Africans were reported killed in the Jakarta, Indonesia, hotel blast as far as could be determined at this stage, says South African Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa.
Speaking to on Tuesday afternoon he said two South Africans who were working at the hotel ”are safe and sound”.
An explosion on Tuesday in the JW Marriott Hotel, which destroyed the lobby and shattered windows halfway up the multi-storey building, left at least 13 dead and 149 injured.
Dow Jones Newswires reports that no group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. But since last year’s blasts in Bali, which killed 202 people, authorities have warned that more attacks were likely in Indonesia — possibly by Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terror group linked to al-Qaida.
Indonesia’s Vice President Hamzah Haz said the attack may have been targeted against US interests in the country. ”I think it is possible that was what was behind it,” he said.
Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government had ordered strict security checks at the airport and other public places, and said officials would announce even stronger security measures on Wednesday, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki expressed ”outrage and condemnation” on Tuesday at the bomb blast.
”On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, I wish to extend to… the government and people of Indonesia our sincerest and heartfelt condolences following the bomb blast… in Jakarta,” he said in a statement.
Mbeki said the thoughts and prayers of South Africans were with the people of Indonesia and, in particular, with the families of the victims. – I-Net Bridge, Sapa