Jakarta, Jan 17 (NationPress) Five bodies were recovered on Friday following a fire that erupted at a shopping mall in the western region of Jakarta on Wednesday evening, as rescuers stepped up their efforts to locate other individuals who are still missing.

"Five bodies were discovered on the eighth floor, within a karaoke room. All the victims remain unidentified," stated West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency chief Syarifudin during a press briefing, adding that the bodies have been sent to a police hospital for identification via DNA testing.

He went on to confirm that the count of missing persons has risen from eight to 14, as more individuals have reported their relatives as missing to the authorities.

Syarifudin noted that the search operations were hindered by numerous partitions and the expansive layout of the shopping mall.

The area is extensive, and the roof collapsed, leading to closed-off spaces. Room partitions and cables complicated the search, he remarked, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.

The incident at Glodok Plaza occurred around 9:20 PM local time on Wednesday evening in the densely populated Tamansari sub-district. Many shoppers were reportedly inside the mall when the fire broke out.

Initially, reports indicated that seven individuals were missing following the fire.

The local fire department deployed over 40 fire engines along with 200 firefighters to tackle the blaze. By late Thursday, remnants of the fire were still present in one of the buildings, even though efforts had progressed to the cooling phase.

Rescue teams were sent to search the seventh and eighth floors, which are believed to be the last known locations of the missing persons, specifically in the entertainment areas that are thought to be the fire's origin point.

The city police spokesperson, Ade Ary Syam Indradi, informed local media that firefighters and police personnel remain on-site to investigate the primary cause of the fire.