The vast dome of a mosque in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, collapsed after a fire, without causing any casualties.
Dramatic video footage obtained by AFP shows a thick column of gray smoke enveloping the dome as flames engulfed the walls of the grand mosque at the Islamic Center in Jakarta on Wednesday (October 20th).
Several workers who were working on the renovation of the building had approached to watch the fire and fled when the crescent-topped dome leaned over and crashed to the ground.
Police said there were no casualties.
"
We discussed the possibility of continuing the renovation (...) and the most important thing is that we can use the mosque soon
," Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono told Metro TV on Thursday.
The cause of the fire, which took hours to extinguish, is under investigation.
Police said they suspected the fire may have started when construction workers tried to cut through waterproof membranes.
Four construction workers are being questioned, police said.
A view of the collapsed mosque.
BAGUS SARAGIH / AFP