Five people killed on Jl. Sudirman crash

Five people killed on Jl. Sudirman crash

JAKARTA (JP): Five people died early yesterday morning in a
car crash on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. Two of them were
believed to be pedestrians who were hit just before the car
smashed into a tree and a street lamp on the median strip.

Four of the five victims died instantly while the other died
in the emergency room of the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

They were Sari Mulyati, 20, Alphin Sudjaja, 20, and
pedestrians Hendra, 20, and Asep Kurniawan, 26.

Asep was believed to be a transvestite who was crossing the
street when he was hit by the car. Artificial breasts and fake
eyelashes were found at the scene.

The other victim was Ardiles, 16, driver of the blue metallic
Genio Civic sedan.

Another driver Erwin, who together with his unidentified
friend were unharmed by the incident, said he and Ardiles were
involved in a race heading toward the National Monument (Monas)
when the accident took place about 2:30 a.m.

"When Ardiles tried to pass me on my left side in the fast
lane, I sped up... and the accident took place," Erwin said.

Chief Sgt. Suyanto, who was at the scene, said the driver was
driving at a very high speed.

"You can see from the damage to the car. The driver must have
hit the tree at over 100 kilometers an hour," Suyanto said.

The collision caused Ardiles to swerve to the right but he
lost control and smashed into the tree and street lamp, he said.

Deddy, who identified Alphin's body at the morgue, told The
Jakarta Post that Alphin's father had died a week earlier.

Ardiles' relatives, who went to the morgue yesterday, refused
to comment on the deaths.

Meanwhile, some transvestites from the Taman Lawang red-light
district in Central Jakarta also went to the morgue yesterday to
see if they could identify the victim.

None of them said they knew Asep, although it was believed he
operated around the Monas square in Central Jakarta. (04/cst)