Indonesia is back in the news again, but for different reasons. The country’s capital, Jakarta was today rocked by two simultaneous bomb blasts in two high profile hotels. JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton hotels, located in the city’s busy business center were ripped by two bomb blasts that claimed nine lives and injured forty one. A similar third bomb blast took place at a tool road, killing two more.

According to Patti Djalal (spokesperson, Indonesian government),

“What I can say is one of the most damaged areas that we looked at, where the bodies were, was a lounge area in the Marriott near the lobby. That seems to be the epicenter of the bomb. This is a blow to us, but I don’t have any doubts that we will be able to uncover and find out the perpetrators.”

As per the initial findings, it has been stated that bomb might have been planted in the basement of the hotel, just beneath the coffee shop. An area that is known to be quite busy in the morning hours. Authorities have cordoned off the areas near both hotels and forensic investigators have arrived on the scene to begin their investigations. Approximately, fours hours after the blast, Marriott Hotel posted a statement on Twitter saying,

“Police responded immediately, sealed off the area. Guests at both hotels have been evacuated & have been moved to a secure location.”

According to an eyewitness, Woolstencroft,

“I looked out my window and I saw a huge cloud of brownish smoke go up. I grabbed my iPhone to go downstairs … and then the second bomb went off at the Ritz-Carlton, so I then ran around to the Ritz-Carlton and I was able to find that there had been a massive bomb that went off in this … restaurant area and the explosion had blown out both sides of the hotel. I found inside the body of what appears to be a suicide bomber, it looked like someone who had been a suicide bomber or someone who had been very, very close to the explosion. I also noticed that there were a number of injured people being taken off to hospital, but I only noticed one dead person at this point and time, that’s all I saw. There has been extensive damage to both buildings, and at this point and time of course all the authorities are blocking up all the area and starting an investigation.”

First hand eyewitness report of the bomb blasts:

The second hotel, Ritz-Carlton had been preparing to accommodate the U.K club soccer team, Manchester United, that was scheduled to play in Indonesia as part of its ‘Asian Leg Tour’. As of now, Manchester United has called off the tour. The bomb at the Carlton is said to have been planted inside a hotel restaurant, again a place that is busy with activity at breakfast time. Due to the fact that the second floor windows of the hotel blew inside out, investigators are suggesting that the bomb might have been planted inside the hotel.

Amateur video of the bomb blast:

Via CNN.