Minibus plunges into river, five killed

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.