Tragedy in Jakarta: 22 killed in office fire at drone tech firm

A devastating fire engulfed a seven-storey office block in Jakarta, Indonesia, resulting in the tragic deaths of 22 individuals, confirmed by Central Jakarta police. The fire started on the first floor and rapidly spread to the upper levels where the office of Terra Drone Indonesia was located. Terra Drone Indonesia, a subdivision of Terra Drone Corporation, specializes in providing drones for aerial survey operations across various sectors ranging from mining to agriculture. During the incident, some employees were present in the building, while others managed to evacuate safely. Videos aired by Kompas TV depicted the harrowing scene of firefighters working tirelessly to rescue people and retrieve bodies from the premises, with some individuals resorting to portable ladders to escape from the higher floors. The cause of the fire is suspected to be linked to drone batteries, initiating an investigation by a police forensic laboratory team. Terra Drone Co expressed regret for the distress caused and assured a thorough examination of the fire’s impact on their operations. This tragedy follows a recent fire in a high-rise residential building in Hong Kong, which claimed 160 lives as of the latest reports.