Jakarta
Five bodies were discovered on Friday after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in western Jakarta on Wednesday evening. The victims were found in a karaoke room on the eighth floor of Glodok Plaza, a popular mall in the Tamansari district. Rescue teams have been searching for more missing individuals, with the number of missing persons increasing from eight to 14.
West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency chief Syarifudin confirmed that the victims' identities remain unknown and that DNA analysis will be used for identification. The search has been challenging due to collapsed roofs, room partitions, and tangled cables, making access difficult in the large building.
The fire, which started at around 9:20 pm, engulfed the building quickly. At the time, many visitors were inside. Initially, seven people were reported missing, but as more people came forward, the number of missing grew.
More than 200 firefighters, aided by over 40 fire trucks, fought the blaze. As of late Thursday, embers were still smoldering in one of the building’s sections. Rescuers focused on the seventh and eighth floors, suspected to be near the fire’s origin in entertainment areas.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, with both firefighters and police continuing their work at the scene.