Jakarta office blaze leaves 20 dead, say police
“Police in Jakarta say a battery explosion likely sparked an office-building fire that killed 20 people.”
Key points
- Police in Jakarta say a battery explosion likely sparked an office-building fire that killed 20 people.
- Most victims died of asphyxiation as firefighters searched for anyone still trapped.
At least 20 people died in a fire at a seven-storey office building in central Jakarta, Indonesian police said. Investigators believe the blaze began when a battery on the first floor exploded and flames quickly spread to upper levels.
Most victims appeared to have died from asphyxiation rather than burns, according to Central Jakarta’s police chief, who added that one of the deceased was a pregnant woman. Emergency teams continued to search the building while cooling hotspots amid heavy smoke and intense heat.
Deadly urban fires are not uncommon in Indonesia, where safety lapses and industrial accidents have previously caused mass casualties, including a 2023 incident at a nickel-processing plant that killed at least a dozen workers.
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