Minibus plunges into river, five killed

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Majalengka

A minibus driver, apparently dozing, missed a bridge and drove straight into the Ciherang River in Majalengka regency, West Java at dawn on Wednesday, killing five people.

Four of the five dead victims were residents of Penanggapan subdistrict, Brebes regency, Central Java province. The driver was one of three injured victims.

The accident occurred when the Suzuki Carry Futura minibus was speeding east to Brebes regency from Bekasi town on the outskirts of Jakarta. Abdurrahman, the driver, apparently lost control while dozing as the minibus was entering a bend just before the Ciherang Bridge.

"Instead of staying on the road and driving over the bridge, the minibus headed straight in to the river. We think that the bus driver was sleeping," said Iding, 40, a local resident.

Adj. Comr. Ade Rohendi, the chief of the traffic section at Majalengka police precinct, added that the vehicle took out a tree before landing on the stony river bed. "It was obviously going too fast because the tree was unable to stop it from plunging down into the river," said Ade.

The river bed is nearly 7 meters (about 23 feet) below the surface of the road.

The impact totaled the minibus. Local residents, who heard the crash, flocked to the river quickly to see what had happened.

All the victims were admitted to Majalengka Hospital, but later on, the three injured were taken to Gunung Jati Hospital in Cirebon for better treatment.

The three injured are Durman bin Sastra, 40, and Dedi bin Warnedi, 36, both residents of Penanggapan subdistrict, Brebes regency and Abdurrahman, 35, the minibus driver, a resident of Cibingbin subdistrict, Kuningan regency in West Java.

The five who were killed have been identified as Asmo, 32, Sidik Permana, 35, Murnita, 31, and Sawitri, 30, all residents of Penangapan subdistrict and Sarya, 49, from Jejalen Jaya subdistrict, Bekasi regency.