25 people injured in toll road wreck

JAKARTA (JP): At least 25 people were hurt, most sustaining head injuries, when their speeding Tangerang-bound bus overturned on the Kebon Jeruk-Tangerang toll road on Sunday evening.

Toll road officer Asep said the accident occurred at 5:37 p.m. at Km 17,200 when the driver of the packed Wana Raja bus from Bandung lost control after swerving to avoid another vehicle on its left.

According to the bus driver, Baturo, about 80 passengers were onboard. Most were trapped for several minutes after the crash.

The injured passengers of the bus, bearing license plate D 7731 FC, were rushed to the Qadr Islamic Hospital, about nine kilometers from the accident scene.

Sources at the hospital said those admitted included eight infants and seven women.

A nurse confirmed several were seriously injured but none was in critical condition.

"Insya Allah (God willing), no fatalities will occur," he said.

Baturo, 49, said from the Qadr hospital that the accident occurred when he tried to avoid a Kijang van, whose driver was attempting to overtake him.

"I made a sharp left but suddenly one of the left tires was gone ... it just flew off, while the right tire was still on the asphalt.

"Slowly, the bus overturned," Baturo told The Jakarta Post by phone.

He said he only suffered a minor head injury.

"Thank God I was not badly hurt."

The accident led to a four-kilometer traffic jam along the toll road. (ylt)