Bus set on fire in South Jakarta

Bus set on fire in South Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Angry residents set fire to a Kopaja bus after
it hit and killed an eight-year-old girl near a traffic light on
Jl. Warung Buncit, South Jakarta yesterday.

A police sergeant at the South Jakarta Police precinct said
the bus plying the Senen-Lebak Bulus route hit Dwi Handayani near
the Jl. Warung Buncit-Pejaten Raya intersection at about 5 p.m.

"Dewi was rushed to the Pasar Minggu Hospital, but she died on
the way," the officer said.

He said residents chased and surrounded the bus but the driver
managed to escape.

Witnesses said the bus passengers urged the bus driver to stop
after it hit the girl, who lived in Pekayon, South Jakarta.

The bus passengers fled when residents threw stones at the
bus, smashing its windows.

Residents then set fire to the bus after they failed to
overturn it.

A fire truck from the South Jakarta Fire Brigade extinguished
the blaze at about 6 p.m.

The burned-out bus was towed to the South Jakarta Police
precinct.

In Pasar Minggu, also South Jakarta, a fire gutted a
handicraft shop on Jl. Raya Tanjung Barat on Sunday night,
causing Rp 100 million (US$41,666) in material losses.

The fire, which started at 9 p.m., destroyed the shop of PT
Usaha Dagang Indah Setia Mandiri which produced wooden crafts for
export to the Netherlands, a police officer said.

Six fire brigades were deployed and extinguished the fire in
an hour. (jun)