Bus plunges into river, 11 killed<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga, Central Java<\/p>\n
An intercity bus plunged into a river here on Friday, leaving at
\nleast 11 passengers dead and eight others injured.<\/p>\n
The Tri Kusumo bus bearing license number R 2767 BA was
\ncarrying 29 people from Semarang to Purwokerto in Central Java
\nwhen it crashed in Toyareja village at around 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Bus driver, Yusman, 43, said he lost control of the vehicle
\nafter it hit a minivan which was coming from the opposite
\ndirection just before he was taking a curve over a bride.<\/p>\n
A witness said the bus was speeding when it skidded off the
\nroad and crashed through railings before plummeting into Klawing
\nRiver.<\/p>\n
It was drizzling when the accident took place, the second such
\naccident with a considerable death toll in two weeks after a bus
\ncaught fire in neighboring Central Java town of Brebes killed 11
\npassengers.<\/p>\n
Local residents said the winding road along the route was
\nprone to accidents. Last October a public minibus carrying 40
\npeople hit a tree, killing 10 of its passengers.<\/p>\n
Only eight of the casualties in Friday's accident have been
\nidentified, including five-year-old Sigit Kurniawan.<\/p>\n
All the bodies and those injured were sent to Nirmala Hospital
\nand Immanuel Hospital in Purbalingga.<\/p>\n
Yusman, who survived with a minor injury, is now in police
\ncustody for investigation purpose.<\/p>\n
Purbalingga Police chief Adj. Comr. Iryanto said a preliminary
\ninvestigation revealed that Yusman was unaware that his bus tires
\nwere already worn out but was going too fast despite the wet
\nroad.<\/p>\n
\"The driver should not have been that reckless. He should have
\nreduced speed before passing the bridge. But he was speeding at
\n70 kilometers per hour,\" Iryanto said.<\/p>\n
\"After observation in the field, we could say human error was
\nthe cause of the accident.\"<\/p>\n
Local residents gave first aid to the victims and helped
\nmedical workers evacuate bodies.<\/p>\n
Police sealed off the site of accident and rerouted motorists
\nto alternative routes as workers recovered the bus.<\/p>\n
Identified fatalities:
\n1. Itang Kusmayadi, 27; 2. Eri, 37; 3. Sigit Kurniawan, 5; 4.
\nSugiarto, 36; 5. Aemanto, 50; 6. Salijo, 51; 7. Marwah, 37; 8.
\nAchmad, 40.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bus-plunges-into-river-11-killed-1447893297",
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