Bus plunges into ravine, 22 killed
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An overloaded bus carrying kindergartners and their parents to the beach for a field trip plunged into a ravine near the East Java town of Jember on Tuesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring many others, police and doctors said.
Most of the victims -- 10 children and 12 adults -- died instantly in the crash, which occurred at about 7:30 a.m.
The 47-seat bus, part of the fleet of state-owned bus company Damri, was carrying more than 100 students from Jember's Theo Bromo Kebunrayap PTPN XII kindergarten and their parents. The group was traveling to Pasir Putih beach in the neighboring town of Situbondo in Besuki regency.
Besuki Police chief Sr. Comr. Untung Suharsono Rajab was quoted by Antara as saying the bus should have been carrying no more than 47 passengers.
He blamed the accident on "human error" on the part of the driver, who he said had been named a suspect in a criminal investigation.
Untung said the driver, identified as Ramli -- a resident of Kaliwates in Jember -- would be questioned once he recovered from his injuries.
The bus reportedly skidded out of control along a mountain pass. It then hit the side of a bridge before plunging into the eight-meter-deep ravine.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
The chief of the Jember Police's traffic division, Adj. Comr. Sulistiyo, also blamed human error for the accident.
Rusdianto, the head of Jember's road and traffic agency, was quoted as saying the winding road was not suitable for large buses.
Those injured in the crash are being treated at three separate hospitals in Jember: Dr Soebandi Hospital, a military hospital and a hospital managed by state plantation company PTPN XII.
People in the area rushed to the scene to try and help the victims, and many also donated blood at the three hospitals and the local Red Cross office.
The bodies of the 22 killed in the accident have been claimed by their families in the villages of Rembangan and Bintoro.
All-day ceremonies were held in the two villages to bury the dead.
According to Indonesian law, those injured in the accident and the families of the deceased will receive money from state-owned traffic insurance company PT Jasa Raharja.
Damri president Twidjara Adji said in Jakarta his company would provide financial aid to the victims. He indicated the families of the deceased would each receive Rp 1 million (about US$115), while the medical costs of the injured would be covered by the company.
"Damri offers its deepest condolences to the families of all of the victims," he said.