By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Eight bodies were found so far after a fire broke out at one of the oldest shopping malls in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, as rescuers intensified search efforts for still missing persons, officials said Saturday.
The blaze at the Glodok Plaza started at around 9:30 p.m. local time Wednesday in a discotheque and karaoke venue but quickly spread, according to investigators and witnesses.
Many customers were reportedly in the mall during the massive blaze.
Officials said the city’s fire department deployed over 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters to combat the flames at the shopping mall.
The city’s police spokesperson, Ade Ary Syam Indradi, told reporters that firefighters and police personnel were still investigating the cause of the blaze.
Footage monitored by Worthy News showed horrific flames coming out of the top floors of the massive mall. Witnesses said they had heard “a loud explosion” when the fire began.
FIRE SPREADING
The acting chief of the Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service, Satriadi Gunawan, confirmed that “the fire grew bigger and spread to the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th floors.”
He added that the fire, which began at the venue “on the 7th floor,” may have been caused by “an electrical short circuit or gas cylinder,” but added that an investigation is still underway.
This was the second massive blaze at the shopping mall since April 9, 1983, when a fire engulfed the Golden Dragon restaurant. Worthy News learned that no deaths were reported at the time.
Indonesian television reported Saturday that the death toll from the latest blaze in West Jakarta rose to eight, but the toll was expected to increase.
Malls in Indonesia are often monitored by security personnel following Islamic terror attacks targeting areas frequented by Western tourists, including shopping centers as well as churches in the world’s largest Muslim nation.
The blaze at Glodok Plaza comes as Indonesia is also reeling from numerous volcano eruptions in recent days, although no deaths were reported.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.