House member dies as bus plunges into ravine<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
A bus carrying at least 13 House of Representatives members
\nplunged into a ravine in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, on Monday,
\nleaving one of them dead and the other 12 House members injured.<\/p>\n
Five other passengers were also wounded, including Yogyakarta
\nresettlement and regional infrastructure agency chief Tri Herjun
\nand local transportation agency chief Setyoso.<\/p>\n
Budi Prihandoko, a legislator from the Democratic Party
\nfaction in the House, died instantly in the accident that took
\nplace at around 11:15 a.m. in Munthuk village, Dlingo district.<\/p>\n
The brakes of the bus apparently malfunctioned as it was
\ntraveling on a winding road from Srandakan, Bantul, to Bribin in
\nGunungkidul regency, and was unable to adequately slow down
\naround a curve. It plunged some 10 meters down a steep ravine
\nafter hitting a police escort vehicle in front of it.<\/p>\n
"While descending on the curving road, the brakes suddenly
\nfailed and I could not control the bus. Before it went into the
\nravine, the bus rammed a traffic police Kijang," said Budi
\nSumarno, the bus driver.<\/p>\n
He added that the bus rolled several times before being halted
\nby trees. All of the windows were shattered.<\/p>\n
The Kijang, driven by Junaidi, also lost control and drove off
\nthe edge of the road into the ravine, but the passengers only
\nsustained minor cuts and bruises.<\/p>\n
Another witness, Bantul legislative council member Riyanto
\nDimas, who was in another bus behind the ill-fated vehicle, gave
\na similar account.<\/p>\n
"I saw the bus lose control and rammed into the Kijang van in
\nfront. It later rolled four times as it tumbled down the ravine
\nalong with the van," he said.<\/p>\n
Riyanto also said that the same bus seemed to be having a lot
\nof trouble getting up a steep section of the road earlier in the
\ntrip. "At the time, the bus was almost unable to get up the
\nhill."<\/p>\n
Budi and the injured victims, all from House Commission V, had
\nplanned to visit a clean water drilling project in Bribin after
\ninspecting a bridge development project earlier in the morning.<\/p>\n
The lawmakers arrived in Yogyakarta on Saturday for a five-day
\nworking visit along with several officials from the Ministry of
\nPublic Works.<\/p>\n
Budi's body was taken to Sadjito Hospital for an autopsy and
\nthe wounded victims to a nearby community health center before
\nbeing transferred to other hospitals in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Also injured were legislators Anas Ahmad Yahya and Erman
\nSuparno, from the National Awakening Party (PKB), A. Muqowwam and
\nSyahrial Agamas, from the United Development Party (PPP); Endang
\nSastraprawira, Nusirwan Soejono and Ida Bagus Nugroho, from the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Suharsojo of the
\nGolkar Party and Rustanto Wahidi of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
Other injured passengers included Bambang Satmoko and Dedi
\nAryadi, a TVRI reporter and cameraman, respectively.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Sudiman said the bus was
\nconsidered roadworthy and had often been used for official trips.<\/p>\n
He said the police were investigating the crash to determine
\nthe cause. "It remains unclear whether it was certainly caused by
\na brake failure or not. Our priority is the safety of the injured
\nvictims," he said.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono said the local
\nadministration would cover the medical costs of the victims. "I
\nam concerned and mourn over the fatal accident."<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, House speaker Agung Laksono expressed his
\ncondolences over the death of Budi. "Before opening my speech, I
\nwant to express my condolences for the death of Pak Budi
\nPrihandoko," Agung said during the launch of his book entitled
\n"The Most Beautiful House is for the People".<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago, the House also lost another member, Yusuf
\nMuhammad of PKB, who was among 26 people killed in a Lion Air
\ncrash in Surakarta, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Agung added that the House was on one-month recess that
\nstarted on Dec. 11 and many lawmakers were on working visits to
\nregions to collect information from constituents and other
\nsources.<\/p>",
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