11 killed, 23 injured in tollway accident

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The investigation into a chain collision that claimed at least eleven lives on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road early on Monday had been closed as all the potential suspects were among the dead, a police officer said.

"Of course, we will investigate the incident as far as we can, but we will blame no one as all the possible suspects -- the respective drivers of the two buses and the pickup that were involved in the pileup were killed," Bekasi Police chief Comr. Bachtiar H.T. said when asked about the police investigation into the case here on Monday.

He added that the police could not blamed the buses' owners as they knew nothing about the accident and had suffered losses in the tragedy.

At least eleven people were killed and 21 others seriously injured when two passenger buses and an L-300 colt pick-up were involved in the accident near Cibatu village, Lemah Abang district, Bekasi regency.

All the victims, only some of whom have been identified, were taken to the Medika Hospital in Cikarang, Bekasi.

"Of the 11 dead, five have been identified while of the 21 injured victims, four are in a critical condition," the hospital's Dr. Kartika said.

Asmoro, a tollway official, said the accident occurred when a bus belong to the Sahabat company that was plying the Jakarta- Cirebon route hit the pick-up and then crossed the median strip before colliding head-on with a bus from the Sumba Putra company, which was traveling at high speed in the opposite direction.

He added the collision happened because the driver of the Sahabat bus heading to Cirebon was driving recklessly.

Mohammad Amin was distraught over the death of his pregnant wife Dedeh Nurjanah, who was killed in the pileup along with two other relatives.

"I have no one anymore because my unborn child was killed in the accident," Detik.com quoted Amin as saying at the hospital.

He recalled his happiness when their doctor told him three months ago that Dedeh, whom he married eight years ago, was pregnant.

"I tried to stop Dedeh from going to Surabaya, but Mrs. Musroh persuaded her to go come along together with Retno," said Amin.

Dedeh, Musroh and the 11-year-old Retno, all of whom were killed in the incident, were on board the ill-fated Sumba Putra bus on their way home to Makassar subdistrict, East Jakarta.

Masroh child is now an orphan as the former's husband died two months ago.