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Blast in Indonesia kills over 180

A massive explosion from a car bomb destroyed a night club on the tourist island of Bali, sparking a devastating inferno that killed at least 182 people and wounded more than 300 -- many of them foreigners.

National Police Chief General Da'i Bachtiar said the explosion came from a Kijang, a jeep-like vehicle, and called it the worst act of terrorism in Indonesia's history.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri flew to Bali and a security alert was sounded. Security Minister Susilo Bamban Yudhyono said that strategic targets like liquefied natural gas plants 'will be protected'.

Authorities said a second bomb exploded near the island's US consular office. Police said there were no casualties in the second explosion.

The US embassy's recreation club in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, was evacuated after a bomb threat.

There was no claim of responsibility for the bombing in the Sari Club at the Kuta Beach resort, which officials said killed Indonesians along with Australians, Germans, Canadians, Britons, and Swedes.

More than 300 people were injured, at least 90 of them critically, officials said.

The first bomb on Saturday evening destroyed the Sari Club, a popular nightspot frequented by foreigners in the resort of Kuta Beach. The explosion at the consular office occurred almost simultaneously. The blast left a large crater at the entrance to the nightclub, located in the centre of Kuta, Bali's biggest tourist area and a maze of clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and beach bungalows.

The blast ignited a huge blaze -- apparently caused by exploding gas cylinders -- which collapsed the flimsy roof structure, trapping hundreds of revellers inside.

Bali is Indonesia's top tourist destination. Unlike the rest of Indonesia, which is almost 85 per cent Muslim, Bali itself is predominantly Hindu.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee expressed shock at the brutal terrorist attack and asked the international community to join in efforts to rid the world of religious extremism. "This terrorist incident, inspired by religious extremism, reminds us of the common responsibility of all members of the international community to join together and support each other in ridding the world of this cancer," Vajpayee said shortly before his departure for Delhi at the end of his three-nation tour.

In a message to Indonesian President, Vajpayee said "I am shocked to learn of the brutal terrorist act at Bali yesterday which has claimed over 180 innocent lives. My sympathies are with the families."

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