It was like a battle zone, says Malaysian caught in blasts

Securing the scene: Policemen inspecting the perimeter of the Starbucks cafe in Jakarta. — EPA

KUALA LUMPUR: Company director Chandran Ravi was packing his bags so that he could check out of his hotel and return home to Malaysia when chaos broke out at the lobby, with several explosions going off outside.

Chandran said he rushed to the hotel lobby after the first explosion.

“As I reached there, I heard another explosion,” he said, adding that he heard a total of five explosions several minutes apart.

He said the situation at the lobby was chaotic as the hotel security scrambled to block the main entrance.

“They were stacking sofas and chairs to try to block the entrance. I could hear babies crying and the hotel guests on their mobile phones trying to call their loved ones,” he added.

“It was like a battle zone outside with the police and soldiers arriving at the scene. I could see smoke outside on the road,” he added.

Chandran, who was on the fifth floor of the Sari Pan Pacific hotel, said he was getting ready to leave for Kuala Lumpur after a business trip there when he heard the first explosion at about 10am local time yesterday.

His hotel is located next to the Sarinah shopping centre where the attacks took place.

“I went to the window to see what was going on. I didn’t see any smoke from the explosion, but I could see a lot of people running away from the shopping complex,” he told The Star by telephone yesterday.

He had been in Jakarta since Monday.

Chandran then asked the hotel staff outside his room about what was going on, but they told him that they were also unsure.

The hotel staff then asked guests to gather at the ballroom.

“They advised us to stay indoors, either at the ballroom or in our rooms,” Chandran said, adding that they were also advised against checking out.

“I was supposed to be on a 7pm flight back to Kuala Lumpur (yesterday), but there were no taxis or cars coming to the hotel as all the roads were closed to traffic,” he said.

However, at about 5pm (Jakarta time), he managed to check out and reached the Soekarno-Hatta airport in time for his flight home.