CNN Europe CNN Asia
On CNN TV Transcripts Headline News CNN International About CNN.com Preferences
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SERVICES
 
 
 
SEARCH
Web CNN.com
powered by Yahoo!
TRANSCRIPTS
Return to Transcripts main page

CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Bali Blasts Spark Outrage

Aired October 14, 2002 - 06:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to the terrorist attacks in Bali. Two Americans among the more than 190 people killed.
Family and friends say a former University of Nebraska all- American center is among the missing; 34-year-old Jake Young was in Bali to play a tournament with his rugby team. He has not been heard from since that blast, but there is a report that his passport was found in the rubble.

We'll take you live to Bali now for more on the investigation and recovery efforts as our Mike Chinoy is on that Indonesian island and joining us by videophone.

What's the very latest from there?

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Catherine.

I'm standing just a few yards from where the bomb went off on Saturday night. As you can see over my shoulder, it's a scene of utter devastation. This is normally a very, very busy tourist center. Now, it's eerily quiet. The Indonesian police have roped off this main road. There are a lot of police, heavily-armed, keeping bystanders a good distance away.

The bomb totally destroyed two bars, and at this point, the death toll is estimated to be about 187, but there are at least 220 Australians who are still unaccounted for, and the expectation is that the death toll could rise.

The effort to recover bodies has been hampered by the fact that many of those killed (AUDIO GAP) bodies charred beyond recognition in the fierce fire which followed the explosion.

Further complicating the whole process is the fact that in this very, very hot tropical climate, the Indonesian authorities have virtually no refrigerator containers or any other place to keep bodies. So, there are remains that are actually decaying as authorities try and sift through the wreckage and recover (ph) what's left of the shattered bodies of many of those who died.

Meanwhile, there has been a steady flow of Australian Air Force C-130 aircraft coming into Bali and ferrying out some of the most badly wounded to hospitals in Darwin, Australia. That's about a four- hour flight away.

There have also been huge crowds at the main airport here in Bali, both on Sunday and again today, Monday here, as many of the tourists who frequent this normally very popular and beautiful resort are desperate, trying to get a seat on any plane that will take them away.

Western diplomats say that they fear there is more to come; that this is not an isolated event. It follows some other attacks of a much smaller scale in Jakarta and elsewhere aimed at Western targets, and there is real concern that there is more to come.

Because of that, the United States and Britain are advising their nationals to leave. The U.S. embassy has also announced plans to evacuate all non-essential staff and family members of American diplomats posted here.

The message from the U.S. embassy to Americans throughout Indonesia, and there are estimated to be several thousand scattered across the country, is to get out unless you have very urgent business, because this is a dangerous situation, and it will get worse.

All eyes are now on the Indonesian government, waiting to see what President Megawati Sukarnoputri (AUDIO GAP) the United States and many Southeast Asian nations and Australian have been pressing the government for some time to get tough on Islamic radicals here; the United States contending that local Islamic radicals do have some links with al Qaeda. But so far, the Indonesian government has been sitting on the fence, the government apparently fearful of sparking a backlash in this predominantly Islamic country.

But now, there is intense pressure on the government to do something as the death toll here continues to mount -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you, Mike. That's Mike Chinoy.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.

© 2004 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us.
external link
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.