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Police: 8 killed in Jakarta hotel blasts

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-17 19:15

AKARTA: The bombs that exploded two luxury hotels in Jakarta claimed a total of 8 lives and injured 61 others, the spokesman of Jakarta Police said Friday.

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"The casualties on the scene include five from J.W. Marriott and two from Ritz Carlton hotels. One person dead in the hospital," Inspector General Nanan Soekarnan told a press conference.

Nanan said the police bomb squad discovered an unexploded bomb in room 1808 at Ritz Carlton hotel.

"The perpetrator stayed a night in the hotel before the explosion. The bomb was discovered inside a laptop bag inside the room. It was a low explosive one, similar to the one exploded in J. W Marriott hotel," Nanan said.

The spokesman said police are still investigating whether the bombs were exploded by suicidal bomber or not.

Citing the hotel's Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) recording, Nanan said that the first explosion occurred in J.W. Marriott hotel at 0707 (0007 GMT)and was followed by the second bomb in Ritz Carlton around 40 minutes later.

Police called on the public to be aware of suspicious activity around their neighborhood and encouraged the public to report it to the police.