[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia-pacific/2323293.stm[/url]

Reports from the Indonesian holiday island of Bali say at least 53 people have been killed in two explosions.


It was like a scene you'd see from Vietnam - there were bodies everywhere

British tourist Matt Noyce  
Ten foreigners are believed to be among the dead, and more than 120 people were injured - among them Americans, Australians and five Britons.

One of the bombs exploded at a nightclub in Kuta Beach, a popular tourist resort.

The other explosion occurred in central Denpasar, Bali's capital, a police spokesman has said.

This explosion is reported to have gone off 250 metres (825 feet) from the United States consulate in the city. No casualties have been reported.

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There is no firm word on the cause of the explosions but the local police say bomb squad officers are investigating.

Chaos and damage

Bali is a popular holiday resort with western tourists.

Eyewitnesses described chaos and extensive damage at Kuta Beach where police said eight foreigners died.

The explosion at the Sari Club was accompanied by a large fire that then engulfed another nightclub nearby, eyewitnesses said. Several other buildings and a dozen cars were damaged.

British tourist Matt Noyce, from London, was in the bar when there was a massive explosion.

"You just saw a blinding light and your ears felt like they were exploding," he told the BBC.

"There was just complete panic in the bar with lots of people diving to the door trying to scramble over each other.

"Outside it was awful, it was like a scene you'd see from Vietnam. There were bodies everywhere."

Mr Noyce, who helped move the severely injured away from the fires which started after the blast, said the street had been busy with tourists and locals.

"If it was a bomb they have put it purposely at just the right time," he said.

Embassy worries

The US embassy in Jakarta has issued a series of warnings in recent weeks that its nationals could be targeted by Islamic militants linked to the al-Qaeda terror group.


Bali: Blast could hit lucrative tourism industry

The embassy itself closed for several days last month after intelligence reports indicated militant groups were planning car bomb attacks.

BBC Jakarta correspondent Richard Galpin says the embassy has been considering evacuating non-essential staff because of continuing fears of attack.

Indonesian officials have in the past denied that militants linked to al-Qaeda are active in the country.

However, authorities in Malaysia and Singapore have claimed that members of a group known as Jemaah Islamiyah - said to be seeking to set up an Islamic state in South East Asia - are based in Indonesia.

The blasts came just hours after a small handmade bomb went off near the Philippine Consulate in the port city of Manado on the central island of Sulawesi, about 2,160km (1,350 miles) north-east of Jakarta.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. It was not clear whether the explosions in Bali were related to the Manado blast.

Even with no "front lines" or uniformed troops, I would say the (world)war is on.
Striking when they see fit the advantage goes in the terrorists favor. We are having a tough enough time with just one whacko shooter here in the U.S. as it is.