Fire at karaoke bar kills 12, injures 71
At least 12 people were killed and 71 were injured in a fire that broke out in a karaoke bar early Sunday in Manado, the provincial capital of Indonesia's North Sulawesi province.
"We are still investigating the cause of the fire and waiting for a formal result from the forensic lab," said National Police spokesmanAnton Charliyan. Police initially said the fire could have been caused by a short circuit. The 12 fatalities - seven males and five females - were all identified, with most of them originating from outside Manado. They include a husband and wife and Sinta Sajow, a niece of Minahasa district head Jantje Wowiling Sajow. Local news web site Kompas.com reported that the victims were killed as they were trapped on the second and third floor. Witnesses told local media said fire broke out in one of the rooms on the second floor about 12.30 AM local time (1630 GMT) and that many victims could not hear the fire alarm ringing after the fire broke out."There were no alarms ringing. I found out about the fire when I was out of the room," a witness identified as Ifo was quoted as saying. Ifo said he was renting a karaoke room on the third floor with his girlfriend and four friends in the karaoke bar, which is located in a shopping complex in Mega Mas business district. The bar is a popular franchise named after a female dangdut singer,Inul Daratista. Dangdut is an Indonesian popular music which is a mix of Indian, Malay and Arabic styles.
