Cattle truck crashes in Ngawi, kills seven

I.D. Nugroho, Surabaya

Seven people died when a truck transporting cattle plunged into a six-meter-deep river in the regency of Ngawi, East Java, early on Sunday. Ten cows were also killed in the accident.

Of the seven casualties, only three have been identified so far: truck driver Hari Bulin, mechanic Eng Adya Untara and M. Sofyan, a passenger.

The three were residents respectively of Demangan, Tegalsiwalan and Sumberwetan villages in Probolinggo regency, East Java.

Four others -- all cattle handlers -- have not been identified.

Sec. Brig. Basiran, a policeman in the nearby village of Kedungdalar, said accidents were frequent along the road at that particular location because of its sharp turn.

"It seems the driver was not familiar with the road," he said on Sunday.

The cattle truck was heading to Surakarta, Central Java, from Ngawi when the driver lost control at high speed and plunged into the river at around 2 a.m.

The four cattle handlers were found among the dead cows, raising speculation that they were killed when they were trapped under the weight of the animals.

Basiran said the bodies were at the morgue at Ngawi General Hospital.