Bus driver arrested for fatal accident

JAKARTA: The Jakarta Police arrested a Mayasari Bhakti public bus driver on Saturday afternoon for his involvement in a traffic accident in May on the Wiyoto Wiyono toll road near Rawamangun, East Jakarta.

Jakarta Police traffic chief Comr. Naufal Yahya said the driver, identified as Agus Iwan, 35, was arrested at home in Tasikmalaya, West Java.

Two women were killed and four others injured in the three- vehicle crash.

The accident occurred when a front tire of the bus -- traveling from Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, to Cawang, East Jakarta -- burst and the driver lost control.

The bus drove through the steel barrier into on-coming traffic and hit a Mercedes-Benz sedan.

Krisdawansyah, 42, who was driving, and nanny Wiwin, 24, both of Cipete, South Jakarta, were killed instantly. Krisdawansyah's children -- Ryan, 13, Gaby, 6, and Dina, 3, -- were seated in the back seat of the car and were injured, but survived the accident.

Yulianta, who was driving a Toyota Kijang van behind the Mercedes, swerved to avoid colliding into the sedan and was injured when the van rammed into the lane-separator.

The bus driver ran from the scene of the accident before authorities arrived.

The suspect is likely to be charged under Article 359 of the Criminal Code on negligence leading to death, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail. -- JP