45 dead in Ciloto bus accident

CIANJUR, West Java (JP): At least 45 people were killed and 29 others were severely injured when a Turangga bus plying the Jakarta-Bandung route struck a cliff wall and was thrown to the bottom into a hill.

The accident occurred on late Monday in the Lembah Hijau area Kilometer 85-86 of Jl. Raya Puncak in Ciloto, West Java.

As of Tuesday evening, 14 bodies had yet to be identified.

The crash victims were taken to the nearby Cianjur Hospital and Pacet Hospital in Cipanas.

Cianjur Police chief Lt. Col. Fadjar Purnomo said police were undertaking a preliminary investigation, but were already able to cite two likely causes.

"Our provisional suspicion is that the driver was driving recklessly or the brakes were damaged," Fadjar said.

Bus driver Odih Sodikin, a Bandung resident, was among those who died instantly in the accident which occurred at about 10 p.m.

According to reports, the traffic was relatively light and the road was empty when the bus hit the cliff wall.

One of the injured survivors, Dodo, 43, said the bus was traveling quickly, but steadily on its way from Bandung until it reached a corner in the Lembah Hijau area.

He said as the bus rounded the corner, it swayed to the left and hit the cliff wall.

The bus had a capacity load, and was perhaps overcrowded, with 78 passengers.

Cianjur police on Tuesday formed a special team to investigate the accident. (21/43/edt)