Drift Speed Fest Organisers Back Police Investigation into VIP Stand Collapse
Purwokerto (ANTARA) - The organising committee of the Drift Speed Fest has declared its full support for the investigation by the Banyumas Municipal Police (Polresta) into the collapse of the VIP grandstand at the Drift Speed Fest event at the Satria Sports Complex in Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Central Java.
At a press conference in Purwokerto on Monday evening, the chairman of the organising committee, Yoshua Ernest Yonathan, said the committee also took full responsibility for ensuring that all victims received the medical treatment, assistance and support they needed.
He also extended an apology to the victims and their families for the incident, which occurred on Sunday (26 July).
“We offer our sincerest apologies. This is something we never expected. We take full responsibility for ensuring all victims receive proper treatment, and we continue to coordinate with all relevant parties in the medical treatment and support of the victims and their families,” he said.
He said the celebration ceremony held before the incident was a customary part of a drifting championship.
However, he said the incident was not related to the participants or drifters, as they were merely following the schedule of activities prepared by the committee.
He stressed that the incident served as an important lesson for the committee, particularly in reviewing the construction prepared by vendors for similar events in future.
According to him, the grandstand collapsed after the entire opening ceremony and prize-giving sequence had finished, meaning the parade and celebration were not the fault of the drifters.
Echoing this, the deputy chairwoman of the organising committee, Putri Danizar, said the parade and the distribution of merchandise were customary parts of a drifting championship and had been practised at numerous previous events.
Since the incident occurred, she said, the committee’s main focus had been to ensure all victims received the best possible treatment.
Putri said that after the evacuation process, she and the Banyumas Regent visited around 11 hospitals to meet the victims, deliver apologies in person, record victims’ identities, and ensure their treatment and care needs could be met.
“Today (Monday, 27 July), the committee divided teams to accompany victims at several hospitals, help with administrative matters, and maintain communication with the victims and their families,” she said.
Another committee member, Rengga, said the committee had run the event in accordance with prevailing regulations, including technical and safety rules.
Nevertheless, he stressed that the cause of the grandstand’s collapse was still awaiting the outcome of the police investigation.
He assured that all costs of treating the victims — from examinations, surgery and medicines to hospitalisation and other medical procedures — would be the committee’s responsibility, so no costs would be borne by the victims.
As of Monday (27 July) evening, around 50 victims had been allowed to return home, whilst the remaining 40 or so were still receiving treatment at several hospitals.
He said the committee had also halted the continuation of the championship owing to force majeure conditions.