Jakarta – An explosion near a Christian meeting hall in the capital of Indonesia's North Sumatra, Medan, killed one person and seriously injured at least two others, hospital staff said yesterday.

"We have one person in the surgery room and another in the intensive care unit," said a nurse on duty at the Herna private hospital in Medan. "There was one woman killed in the blast, but the body was not brought in here but taken directly to Pirngadi state general hospital," the nurse said. She also said that at least four others were admitted with minor injuries but they had already been allowed to leave.

The explosion was so powerful that it shattered most windows in the hall and in the science and technology department building of the nearby Dharma Agung university. The hospital is just a few metres away from Pardede Hall, a Christian meeting place where people were gathered to mark the 50th anniversary of the Indonesian Council of Churches.