Balcony at Indonesian Stock Exchange in Jakarta Collapses

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A balcony collapsed on Monday inside the Indonesia Stock Exchange building complex in the capital, Jakarta, sending people fleeing in panic and leaving scores injured.

A large number of Indonesian university students were said to be on the balcony, just above the lobby of the complex’s Tower Two, when it suddenly collapsed beneath them just minutes after noon, officials said. The building also houses international businesses and agencies, including the World Bank.

A total of 75 people were injured, according to the Jakarta police. Seventeen people were transported to Mintoharjo Navy Hospital, including several with fractures, said Maj. Gen. Setyo Wasisto, a police spokesman. Triana Tambunan, a spokeswoman at Siloam Hospital, near the accident site, said 30 people had been admitted there for treatment, including three with serious fractures.

People could be seen lying on the ground after the collapse, which occurred near a Starbucks coffee shop in the Tower Two lobby. The building complex is in a business district near the city center.

Dozens of people were injured in the balcony collapse.CreditAssociated Press

Farida Riady, a spokeswoman for the Indonesia Stock Exchange building’s management, apologized for the accident.

“Suddenly the mezzanine floor collapsed,” she said at a news conference on Monday. “We have not been able to provide any detailed information right now about why this happened, or the number of those injured.”

Officials ordered the immediate evacuation of the complex as rescue workers descended on the accident site and began looking into the cause of the collapse.

Mr. Setyo, the police spokesman, ruled out the possibility of terrorism. “I am sure that this was not caused by a bomb,” he said.

Jakarta has been hit by multiple terrorist attacks in recent years, including an attack against a police post in central Jakarta in January 2016. The Indonesia Stock Exchange building was also struck in 2000 by two rogue army soldiers who planted a car bomb in the building’s basement, killing 15 people.

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