Jakarta Stock Exchange Tower Evacuated After Floor Collapses – By Doreen McAllister (npr.com) /Jan 15 2018
In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, a mezzanine floor inside the tower of the stock exchanged collapsed during lunch hour.
People were evacuated from the building, and nearly 80 people were injured.
An employee of the World Bank in Jakarta, based in the same building, told the BBC a mezzanine walkway above the lobby had come down. He said he and members of his team were among those evacuated.
Most of the injured are reported to be college students from Palembang in Sumatra who were visiting the stock exchange as part of a study tour.
After the collapse, television footage showed the lobby littered with debris.
The Associated Press reports:
National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto ruled out terrorism as a cause of the collapse.
“There is no bomb element in the incident,” he said.
“Figures released by five hospitals showed 77 people were injured.
The Wall Street Journal reports: “Indonesia Stock Exchange officials said the afternoon trading session would continue as normal following the routine 90-minute lunch break.”
In the United States, the markets are closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. They will reopen on Tuesday.
On Friday, Wall Street continued its rally with record closes.
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ both had their eighth record high closings during the first nine days of trading in 2018. The Dow had its sixth closing high of the year.
PB/TK – A floor collapses, 80 people are injured and Jakarta Stock officials are telling folks “ok let’s take a 90 minute recess and get back to work. Yes standing on an uneven, crumpled floor is perfectly safe.” Meanwhile there are OSHA people in the US freakin’ out
