JAKARTA: At least 17 people have been killed and 71 injured after a fire ripped through a crowded karaoke club in Indonesia.
According to the witnesses told authorities the fire started at around 1 a.m. on the second floor of the three-story building as Hundreds of people were singing in private rooms at the Inul Vizta Karaoke club in central Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.
Many complained that fire engines arriving late, about an hour later. It took firefighters several hours to bring the blaze under control.
We are still investigating the cause of fire, Pernama said, but a preliminary investigation indicated a short circuit.
He said some panicked people smashed windows and fled into the street while many others were stuck in choking black smoke billowing from the second floor as there was only one access door to the building.
