Two high explosive bombs rocked two luxurious hotels of Ritz Carlton and JW Marriot in central Jakarta Friday morning, killing at least 9 people and wounding more than 50.

People run following a blast at the Marriot Hotel in central Jakarta July 17, 2009. Six people were killed in nearly simultaneous explosions at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Marriott Hotel in central Jakarta on Friday, Indonesian police said. Jakarta police spokesman Chrysnanda Dwilaksana said he could not confirm if the blasts were caused by bombs. A Jakarta hospital official said 10 people had been brought in for treatment.[Xinhuanet.com]

The death toll rose to nine after the life of Timothy Mackay, the 60-year-old president of PT Holcim from New Zealand, could not be saved in hospital, the hospital official said.

Meanwhile an unexploded bomb was found in the 18th floor of the JW Marriot Hotel and the bomb squad is trying to de-activate it.

"On the 18th floor, we found an active bomb in a handbag. The bomb squad is evacuating it," said a police officer who declined to mention his name.

Earlier, Minister for Politics, Law and Security and Minister Widodo AS confirmed 8 people were killed on the sites. "Six of them killed in JW Marriot Hotel and two others in Ritz Carlton."

The minister said nearly a half of the victims were foreigners, among which were Japanese and New Zealand citizens.

The minister said the first blast took place at 6:45 Jakarta time (2345 GMT Thursday) and two minutes later the second one occurred. The two hotels were located in two sides of a busy business center in the city center.

An eye witness said she saw at least three foreigners with blood on their bodies were carried out to an ambulance. The wounded persons were rushed to the nearby MMC Jakarta Hospital and Medistra Hospital.

In the MMC Jakarta Hospital, there were two foreigners out of ten wounded people. One foreigner has been shifted to Pertamina Hospital and the other is undergoing surgery.

The explosions broke windows at the hotels while huge sound were heard, the witness said. A television footage of Metro TV showed part of the front windows of the Ritz Carlton Hotel were broken and some guests with sleeping clothes were still outside the building.

Police stand guard in front of the Ritz Carlton Hotel after an explosion in Jakarta July 17, 2009. [Xinhuanet.com]

A witness named only Yanuar who survived the blast in Marriot Hotel said that the blast occurred at the lobby of the hotel. "I was smashed a few meters away," he said.

In the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the explosion took place at the Erlangga Restaurant at the third floor.

Police evacuated employees of the two hotels and office buildings around the hotels and are combing the sites, searching for other victims.

Manchester United team, which planned to stay in the hotel on Saturday for its exhibition game on Monday, finally aborted its plan, Metro television said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and National Police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri are to visit the sites, a text message from the Statte Palace and the television said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who were earlier reported that would visit the blast site, canceled his plan after National Police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri warned him of the unsafe situation.

After a special meeting with security officials, the president told the press that the blasts were an act of terrorism and called on the nation to take a stern action against those perpetrators.

"I strongly condemn this inhuman terrorist acts," he said. "I have instructed law enforcement to punish whoever is involved in this terror act, regardless of their political background."

"I am confident those perpetrators would be arrested and brout to judiciary. I pledge the nation will take a stern action against those perpetrators," he added.

In August 2003, the Marriott Hotel was hit by terrorist suicide bombings believed from the Southeast Asia terrorist network of Jemaah Islmiyah, killing scores of people.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2009)