Five die as bus lurches into river

SEMARANG: Five people died and 12 others were injured when a bus with 50 passengers plunged into a river in Pujut village in the Central Java regency of Batang regency on Sunday.

Batang traffic police chief, First Lt. Didik Mulyanto, said only three of the fatalities had been identified. They were Srimulyani, 20, of Surakarta, Sukar, 34, of Boyolali and Ikbal, 36, of Jakarta.

The injured passengers are being treated at Kalisari General Hospital.

According to Didik, the bus lurched into the river when it was on a slope. The bus driver, Lasiman, 40, drove onto the slope in order to avoid traffic congestion, Didik said. (har/04)