A fire broke out on Tuesday (9) in a seven-story commercial building in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and killed at least 20 people, according to local authorities. The fire reportedly broke out on the first floor of the building around noon local time (2 a.m. Brasilia time), after a battery exploded, and then spread to the upper floors.
Some employees were having lunch in the building at the time, Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro told reporters.
He said the victims included five men and 15 women, including one pregnant woman, and most died of asphyxiation and had no visible burns.
The bodies were sent to hospital for autopsies.
Fire crews continued to work on scene throughout the day searching for possible survivors and other victims. “We are focused on evacuating victims and cooling the scene after the fire,” Condro said.
Images broadcast by the local press showed dozens of firefighters trying to evacuate the people inside and carrying body bags.
Some workers were also seen fleeing from the upper floors of the building using portable ladders.
The building is the office of Terra Drone Indonesia, which sells drones for aerial surveillance in the mining and agricultural sectors. The company is the Indonesian subsidiary of Japanese company Terra Drone Corporation, according to the company’s website.
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