51 people dead as truck totals bus from Bali
51 people dead as truck totals bus from Bali
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
At least 51 people, including 48 high school students from Sleman
regency, Yogyakarta, were killed as their bus collided with a
trailer truck and a minivan on Wednesday night in Situbondo
regency, East Java.
The grisly traffic accident took place at around 7:30 p.m. in
the area of Banyu Glugur that borders between Situbondo and the
neighboring regency of Probolinggo, near the Paiton geothermal
power plant compound.
Police in Banyu Glugur subdistrict said most of the victims
burned to death inside the ill-fated bus PO Transport that was
traveling from Bali to Yogyakarta.
"The bus was heading home from Denpasar," a police officer who
declined to be named told The Jakarta Post hours after the fatal
accident.
The driver of the bus, named as Armando, and his assistant,
Budi, reportedly survived the crash. However, they were severely
injured.
Budi is being treated at the Situbondo Hospital with serious
burn wounds. However, he was still able to speak.
The police said they were evacuating the bodies from the
wreckage of the bus to nearby hospitals. The exact number of the
injured in the accident was not immediately clear and could rise.
Radio Elshinta reported that the crash occurred as the bus was
rammed by a trailer truck that apparently lost power and brakes
up a steep hill and was rolling backward uncontrollably when it
made impact with the bus.
At the same time, a minivan loaded with fruits hit the bus
from behind, it said, quoting local residents.
The dead victims were mostly young girls from Yappenda Merba
high school in Sleman. They left Yogyakarta on Sunday for a study
tour in Bali.
The crash was the worst to take place in Indonesia this year.
On June 6, 10 people were burned to death, four others
suffered serious injuries while two others suffered minor
injuries when a Langsung Jaya bus burst into flames in Brebes,
Central Java.
The bus, carrying about 40 passengers from Cimone bus terminal
in Tangerang heading to Surakarta, Central Java, caught fire when
passing Jl. Diponegoro in front of the Brebes regent office.
Fatal bus accidents this year
Date Place no. of deaths
Feb. 1 Cirebon, W. Java 2
June 6 Brebes, C. Java 10
June 16 Sragen, C. Java 15
June 20 Purbalingga, C. Java 11
Sept. 29 Bandung, W. Java 4