20 killed, many injured as fire breaks out in a building in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta

New Delhi: 20 people were killed, and several were injured when a fire broke out in a seven-story building in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Police officials stated that the flames engulfed the seven-story building, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky, according to an AP report.

The seven-story building was engulfed by flames, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky and causing panic among nearby residents and workers in Central Jakarta. The building is the office of Terra Drone Indonesia, which provides drones for aerial surveying to clients across the mining to agriculture sectors.

Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control after several hours of operation, said broadcaster Kompas TV, adding that the authorities are working to determine the cause of the incident.

Susatyo Purnomo Condro, the head of Central Jakarta police, said, “The fire erupted 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. Now, we are still focusing on evacuating victims and to do fire cooling,” Reuters quoted.