A string of blasts on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday killed at least 24 people and wounded about 95 others, hospital officials said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told CNN it appeared the blasts were “the work of terrorists”…
The blasts happened in Jimbaran and Kuta, the top tourist spots on the island, and Natalegawa said reports indicated the blasts appeared to have occurred just minutes apart.
Indonesia’s leader has already addressed his country:
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently issued a warning that terrorist cells inside the country were still active, despite hundreds of arrests.
Shortly after Saturday’s blast, Yudhoyono addressed the nation on state television, expressing his concern and condemning what he called a terrorist attack.
He said he had received intelligence information in July about terrorist elements in Malaysia and Philippines planning to target Indonesia, and had increased security in Jakarta and Bali as a precaution.
The blasts also come after recent warnings from several other governments, including the United States, of a high terrorist threat to foreigners in Indonesia as the holy Muslim month of Ramadan arrives early next week.
The New York Times adds this:
Six bombs rocked popular tourist areas on the resort island of Bali on Saturday night, killing at least 11 people and injuring many others, the Indonesian government said.
The blasts struck a crowded restaurant outside the Four Seasons hotel at Jimbaran beach, and a shopping square in Kuta, not far from a terrorist bombing that killed 202 people in 2002.
Witnesses described lifting bloodied bodies from the badly damaged Raja Bar & Restaurant in Kuta, and frantically rushing the injured to hospitals.
The Hard Rock Cafe in Kuta, one of the best known spots in Bali’s beach culture, and the Makasari restaurant in Jimbaran were also hit.
There were conflicting reports on casualties. A presidential spokesman, Dino Djalal, said six bombs went off at different locations, killing at least 11. But there were fears that the toll would rise, Mr. Djalal said. Reuters reported that hospitals had said that 17 people were killed.
Nine of the 11 confirmed dead were Indonesians and 2 were foreigners, Mr. Djalal said. He did not give the nationalities of the two foreigners. At least 35 people were seriously injured, according to Indonesian news reports.
More to come on this developing story.