11 killed in Indramayu traffic accident

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu

The northern coastal roads in West Java claimed more lives on Wednesday when a passenger bus and Daihatsu Zebra van crashed in Indramayu, killing at least 11 people.

Ten of the dead were passengers of the van that was carrying family members home to Pendeglang in Banten province from a trip to the neighboring city of Cirebon.

The eleventh victim was the conductor of the ill-fated Garuda Mas bus with police registration number B-7877-VB.

"All the 11 passengers died instantly," Indramayu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Hadi Sutedjo told journalists.

The bus driver, identified as Hasim, 43, sustained serious injuries and is in intensive care at the Indramayu public hospital.

The crash occurred just after midnight at the Kali Menir bridge in Kandanghaur subdistrict.

It took place when the van with police registration number B- 7495-VB, driven by Rebo bin Sanen, tried to avoid a large hole on the bridge at high speed by changing lanes.

The bus, carrying a number of passengers, was also traveling at speed, making a head-on collision unavoidable.

Eko blamed the accident on human error and the bad condition of the road.

However, he said the police were investigating the cause of the crash.

Only six of the victims could be identified by Indramayu police and local hospital staff. All were residents from Bojen village in Panimbang subdistrict, Pandeglang regency.

They were Rebo bin Sanen, 48 -- the minivan driver -- Sumana bin Carsa, 27, Sudarmo bin Sarim, 38, Rasini bin Madrim, 63, Barini, 36, and Titi Sumyati, 22.

The unidentified victims included two males and three females, including children.

Wednesday's crash was one of the worst traffic accidents to take place along West Java's northern coastal roads.

On April 21, 2002, at least 14 people were killed and 21 others injured when two overloaded buses from the same operator, Dewi Sri, collided head-on in Cirebon.

Cirebon Police did not to continue the investigation into the crash because the drivers of the two Dewi Sri buses, both serving the Jakarta-Purwokerto route, were among the dead.

The collision took place on Jl. Raya Kertasura in Kapetakan subdistrict, around 41 kilometers from Cirebon city.

Cirebon police blamed human error for the horrific crash which totalled both buses, one of which was thrown sideways into a house.