A massive explosion from a car bomb destroyed a nightclub on the tourist island of Bali, sparking a devastating inferno that killed at least 187 people and wounded more than 300 -- many of them Australians and other foreigners.
There was no claim of responsibility, but the blasts came three days after the US government issued a worldwide terror alert. The attack heightened fears that Indonesia is becoming a haven for terrorists and that al-Qaeda operatives are active.
National Police Chief General Da'i Bachtiar said yesterday that the explosion came from a Kijang, a jeep-like vehicle, and called it "the worst act of terror in Indonesia's history."
Seconds before the main blast, a smaller explosion, which police characterized as a homemade bomb, erupted outside another nightclub about 30m away, witnesses and police said.
A third bomb exploded near the island's US consular office, authorities said. There were no casualties. The US Embassy's recreation club in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, was evacuated yesterday after a bomb threat.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose government has been accused by the US and its neighbors of being slow to respond to the terror threat, flew to Bali and promised to cooperate with the international community in fighting terrorism.
"The bombings, once again, should be a warning for all of us that terrorism constitutes a real danger and potential threat to the national security," Megawati said.
Asked about the suspected origins of the bombers or a possible link to al-Qaeda: "That will be continuously investigated so that this can be uncovered as soon as possible."
A tearful Megawati later visited the site together with security ministers and top generals.
A security alert was declared across this sprawling country, comprised of 13,000 islands. Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhyono said strategic targets, like liquefied natural gas plants, "will be protected."
A small bomb blew up outside a nightclub, Paddy's Discotheque, late Saturday, and was followed almost instantly by a car blast at the Sari Club, a popular nightspot frequented by foreigners. The dead and injured came mostly from the Sari Club and included Australians, Germans, Canadians, Britons, Swedes and Indonesians, officials said.
The government's crisis center in Bali said 187 people had died and that 309 were hurt, about 90 of them critically. Many of the survivors had suffered gruesome burns.
The blast left a large crater at the entrance to the Sari Club, located in the center of Kuta, Bali's biggest tourist area and a maze of clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and bungalows. It caters to a younger crowd of tourists and surfers.
The blast ignited a huge blaze -- apparently caused by exploding gas cylinders -- which collapsed the flimsy roof of the open-air Sari Club, trapping hundreds inside.
Bali Police Chief Brig General Budi Setyawan said most of the victims were Australians. Australia's deputy ambassador, Neil Mules, said seven Australians were confirmed dead out of 24 bodies identified by yesterday evening.
In Germany, the Foreign Ministry said that five Germans were badly injured and two slightly. One German resident of Bali was missing. Germany issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid travel to Bali.
Australian tourist Rachael Hughes, 18, said she and her boyfriend had just arrived in Kuta Beach when the blast ripped through the nightclub, smashing the window of their hotel room.
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