Family of Jakarta blast victim thanks public

The family of New Zealander Tim Mackay, killed in last week's Jakarta hotel bombing, today thanked the public for their support.

The 62-year-old president director of the Swiss-owned Holcim Indonesia cement company died in hospital after a bomb exploded at the JW Marriott hotel last Friday, killing eight people and injuring 52.

He had suffered severe leg injuries from the explosion of nuts and screws packed around the home-made bomb.

His private funeral is in Wellington tomorrow.

His family today issued a statement to media acknowledging the support and messages they had received from throughout New Zealand and around the world.

They said Mr Mackay was a quiet man with a mischievous sense of humour who was dedicated to his family.

He was like a father figure to those he worked with, they said.

The family thanked the Indonesian people for their support, and Mr Mackay's colleagues and friends who helped repatriate his body.

Mr Mackay was in a group of men at a breakfast table in a lounge just off the Marriott hotel's lobby when the bomb went off.

Those closest to the doorway the suicide bomber used to enter the room, Mr Mackay and three Australians - trade official Craig Senger, human resources manager Nathan Verity and mining executive Garth McEvoy - were killed, as was Indonesian head waiter Evert Mokodompit.

The most seriously injured survivor, Dutchman Max Boon, aged in his 30s, was sitting near the entrance. His left foot was amputated above the ankle and his lungs injured.

Investigators have said the bombers stayed in Room 1808 of the Marriott for two nights before walking into dining and meeting areas and detonating their devices.

- NZPA