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No Indonesians reported among Manchester explosion victims
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The Foreign Ministry as well as the Indonesian Embassy said they had yet to receive any reports about Indonesians falling victim to the deadly bombing in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Monday night local time. (AFP/Paul Ellis)
T
he Foreign Ministry as well as the Indonesian Embassy said they had yet to receive any reports about Indonesians falling victim to the deadly bombing in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Monday night local time.
At least 22 were killed and dozens others were injured in a suspected suicide bombing at a pop concert by United States star Ariana Grande in the northwest city of Manchester. It was Britain's deadliest terror attack in 12 years.
Heartbreaking news. Our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and families affected in the #Manchester attack.
— Dr. Rizal Sukma (@DrRizalSukma) May 23, 2017
"This morning, I contacted our ambassador, Rizal Sukma, immediately after the incident broke the news. Our embassy has been in close communication with local authorities, which said that nationalities of the victims were not yet able to be released," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Tuesday.
Similarly, Rizal said on Tuesday afternoon, "[local] police haven't released the victims' nationalities."
On its Facebook account, the embassy said there were at least three Indonesian students among the concertgoers, according to information from the Indonesian Students Association (PPI) in Greater Manchester. All of them were unharmed, it states.
The embassy has called on Indonesian citizens in the UK to remain vigilant following the incident.
@KBRILondon memantau perkembangan investigasi Polisi & mengimbau WNI utk menghindari daerah Manchester Arena. Hotline KBRI +447881221235 https://t.co/SP5stlKYIa
— Indonesian Embassy (@KBRILondon) May 22, 2017
Via its official Twitter account, the embassy asked all Indonesians to avoid areas near the Manchester Arena.
The Indonesian Embassy has also opened a hotline at +447881221235 to those seeking information or help.
There were scenes of panic as Grande's audience of youthful fans fled the 21,000-capacity venue after what eyewitnesses described as a "huge bomb-like bang" in the foyer area at the end of the concert.
British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the "appalling terrorist attack."
"All our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected," she said in a statement.
(Read also: RI citizens urged to stay away from Manchester Arena following deadly blast)
On March 22, a terrorist attack in London killed four and injured at least 50 others when a car mowed down pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge.
There were around 10,000 Indonesians residing in the UK, of which more than 2,000 were students, according to the embassy's data in 2015. (bbs)
