A powerful explosion tore through a chemical laboratory in Indonesia's capital yesterday, ripping the roof off a nearby school building and injuring at least 22 people, officials said.

 

The wounded were mostly students who were taking a morning test in the school, officials said. Witnesses said at least three classrooms were destroyed.

 

The accidental blast was triggered by chemicals stored in the laboratory, which is located on the grounds of the country's Food and Drug Agency, Jakarta police chief Maj. Firman Gani said. The explosion also wrecked the laboratory.

 

Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam initially said one person died in the blast. He later said he had been misinformed, and that the victim was in a critical condition in a Jakarta hospital.

 

The explosion in central Jakarta panicked nearby residents. The city in recent years has seen a series of bomb attacks, mostly blamed on the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group. Authorities have warned that the group is plotting more attacks.

 

(Chinadaily.com.cn via agencies, January 27, 2006)