19 people killed in bus accident

SURABAYA (JP): Nineteen people died instantly and 28 others were injured when a Setia Bakti bus bound for Jakarta from Madura collided with a trailer truck in Tambak Bojo village in Tuban, about 80 kilometers north of here, Monday afternoon.

Seventeen of the deceased were the bus passengers and its driver, Sitar Angin-Angin, 40, of the West Java town of Bekasi. The other two fatalities were the truck driver and a passenger.

As of yesterday, three of the bodies were still unidentified. Relatives have claimed the bodies at the local hospital's morgue. Most were residents of the town of Bangkalan in Madura, East Java province.

Twelve of the injured have been released from the hospital, but the rest are still in intensive care at Kosma Hospital in Tuban.

Antara quoted witnesses as saying the collision occurred when the speeding bus with 45 people on board suddenly swerved and the driver lost control, hitting the trailer truck speeding from the opposite direction.

Most of the passengers killed were in the front rows of the bus, which had license plate B-7446-WV. The plate of the trailer truck was B-9164-TM, and both were registered in Jakarta.

The Tuban police are investigating the accident.

Meanwhile, the East Java chapter of state-owned PT Jasa Rahardja insurance company has promised to give beneficiaries of dead Rp 5 million (US$625), and award Rp 2.5 million to the injured, the news agency reported. (nur)