At least 73 people have been injured by the collapse of a mezzanine walkway at the Jakarta stock exchange building. The incident happened at 12.10pm local time, triggering a rush to evacuate the building and treat the injured.
The number of those hurt is expected to increase as more information comes to light.
A police spokesperson said that investigators had ruled out a bomb as the cause of the collapse, and added that most of the injured were college students from a private university in Palembang, Sumatra.
Medical teams arrived at the site to treat the injured
One of the students told local broadcaster MetroTV that she felt a tremor before the floor gave way, and that some of her friends had suffered head wounds and broken bones. Other witnesses reported a “loud banging”, leading to a rush to leave the building.
There are understood to have been no fatalities, and the exchange has offered to pay the students’ medical costs.
The mezzanine walkway ran along one side of the building’s atrium
Jakarta’s stock exchange is housed in a building was constructed in the late 1990s as two towers. The collapse took place in Tower II. The exchange remained open during the incident.
Top image: Images circulating on social media show the extent of the collapse
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