Batang head-on collision claims 16 lives<\/p>\n
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Batang<\/p>\n
Sixteen people, five of them children, were killed and 11 others
\ninjured when a tourist bus crashed head-on into a pickup truck
\ncarrying on a highway in Batang regency, Central Java.<\/p>\n
The victims of the accident that occurred late on Wednesday
\nwere members of an extended family from Kebumen subdistrict who
\nwere all riding in the Isuzu Panther truck.<\/p>\n
The ill-fated family's journey had begun earlier, when they
\ndropped off relatives at Raos Eco Restaurant in Gringsing
\ndistrict here, which is also a bus stop. The relatives were
\ncatching a bus back to Sumatra, where they work, after spending
\nIdul Fitri in their hometown.<\/p>\n
The family was on their way home to Batang when the bus plowed
\ninto them.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses and survivors said the accident was caused by a
\nGembira Ria tourist bus that was speeding east from Jakarta to
\nSemarang.<\/p>\n
The bus, driven by Suwarno, was allegedly overtaking a car on
\na highway in Timbang subdistrict when it veered suddenly to avoid
\nthe Panther, which was approaching from the opposite direction.<\/p>\n
The accident was inevitable, as the distance between the two
\nvehicles was too short, Batang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Edy S.
\nSetyo said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Thirteen people died at the scene, while another three died at
\na local hospital.<\/p>\n
The police detained driver Sumarno, 46, from Central Java's
\nJepara regency, for questioning.<\/p>\n
\"The accident appears to have occurred in part because of the
\nbus driver's negligence,\" said Edy after a preliminary
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday afternoon, the 11 survivors were still confined
\nto hospital, while the dead had been buried in Batang,
\naccompanied by dozens of mourners whose holiday season had ended
\nabruptly with the horrific tragedy.<\/p>\n
Accidents are common on the Timbang highway, a wide and
\nstraight road along which drivers were prone to speeding.<\/p>\n
The accident brings the Idul Fitri toll in Central Java to 39.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/batang-head-on-collision-claims-16-lives-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }