Over 20 killed as seven-storey building catches fire in Indonesia's Jakarta
Jakarta fire latest update: Officials said the first first broke out on the first floor around midday and then spread to the upper floors. Some of the employees were having lunch in the building at the time while others had left the office, officials said.
At least 20 people were killed and several others were injured after a massive fire broke out in a seven-storey building in Indonesia's Jakarta. As per the updates from the local media, firefighters managed to bring the flame under control after several hours of operation. However, the officials are working to ascertain the cause of the incident. Officials said the first first broke out on the first floor around midday and then spread to the upper floors. Some of the employees were having lunch in the building at the time while others had left the office, officials said.
The building, in which the fire broke out, is the office of Terra Drone Indonesia, which provides drones for aerial survey activities with clients in the mining to agriculture sectors. This firm is the Indonesian unit of Japanese drone firm Terra Drone Corporation, according to the company’s website.
Fire fighters evacuate people from building
Various footage shared on social media media showed dozens of fire fighters trying to evacuate the people inside, and some were carrying body bags from the building. Visuals showed workers escaping from the high floors of the building using portable ladders.
Search operations for victims underway, say police
In the meantime, Central Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro stated that the fire had been extinguished and that search operations for victims trapped inside the building were underway. He also added that efforts are underway to search for more possible victims inside the building. Officials also said that their focus remains on evacuation and safety.
Know about recent fire incident in Hong Kong
Recently, a massive fire broke out in seven high-rise towers in Hong Kong which killed 160 people. Hong Kong officials stated that their investigation revealed some of the netting that covered scaffolding used in renovations was not up to fire-safety codes.
The fore broke out on November 26 and it took two days to fully extinguish. It started on the lower-level netting covering bamboo scaffolding around one building in the high-rise Wang Fuk Court complex and then got inside as foam panels placed over windows caught fire and blew out the glass.
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