Death Toll from Multi-Vehicle Pile-up on Cipularang Toll Road Rises to Three, Brake Failure Cited as Cause
The Traffic Police Unit (Satlantas) of Purwakarta Police Department has confirmed that the death toll from the ten-vehicle pile-up at kilometre 93 of the Cipularang Toll Road heading towards Jakarta on Thursday 6 March 2026 evening has risen to three persons. Two individuals died at the scene whilst one died after receiving medical treatment at a hospital.
“Two died at the scene and one could not be saved despite treatment,” said Head of Traffic Police Unit of Purwakarta Police Department, AKP Enggar Jati Nugroho, on Friday 6 March 2026.
He stated that the multi-vehicle collision was caused by a container truck experiencing complete brake failure (rem blong) as it struck other vehicles. This occurred due to continuous use of the brakes on a downhill section of road.
“The brakes lost effectiveness because they were used continuously. The road section slopes downward at kilometre 93,” he explained.
The Head of Traffic Police further noted that another contributing factor was that the container truck’s cargo exceeded capacity, carrying 25 tonnes instead of the permitted 16 tonnes. The truck driver has been detained at Purwakarta Police Department for investigation.
He indicated that the stretch of road from kilometre 90 to 102 on the Cipularang Toll Road frequently experiences accidents due to the downhill road configuration and the heavy traffic of large vehicles using the route. The Traffic Police have been implementing measures to remove trucks parked on the road shoulder.
Meanwhile, Head of the Cipularang Toll Road Main Unit, Kompol Joko Prihantono, stated that the vehicles involved in the pile-up included a container truck, pick-up trucks, trucks, minibuses, and articulated lorries. Three persons died in the accident.
He noted that the container truck, bearing registration number B 9367 UEL, was travelling from Bandung towards Jakarta in lane 1. Upon reaching the accident location, Joko stated that there was congestion ahead of the container vehicle resulting from a dump truck malfunction.
“The container truck is believed to have experienced braking failure, then struck a pick-up vehicle causing a multi-vehicle pile-up that closed lanes 1, 2 and the road shoulder,” he said.