Ministry of Transportation Awaits KNKT Investigation Results into Fatal ALS Bus Accident in Muratara

The Ministry of Transportation is still awaiting the results of the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Committee and police inquiries into the cause of the accident involving the Antar Lintas Sumatera (ALS) bus and a tanker truck from PT Seleraya in North Musi Rawas Regency (Muratara), South Sumatra. “Regarding the cause of the accident, the Directorate General of Land Transportation is awaiting the KNKT investigation results and the police inquiry,” said Director General of Land Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Aan Suhanan, in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday. Following up on the accident incident involving the ALS bus with licence plate BK 7778 DL (as found at the scene) and the tanker truck with licence plate BG 8196 QB on Wednesday (6/5) on the Trans-Sumatra Highway at Simpang Danau, Karang Jaya Subdistrict, Muratara, Aan directly inspected the accident site and checked the involved vehicles. “We extend our condolences for the accident on the Trans-Sumatra Highway that claimed many lives. We came to the location and checked the involved vehicles. It was found that this ALS bus has had no permit since 4 November 2020,” he said. He mentioned that the Electronic Inspection Pass (BLUe) data for the bus remains valid until 11 May 2026. The violations include suspected forgery of travel documents, operation of a vehicle with an expired permit, and negligence in vehicle operation that is suspected to have caused the accident resulting in fatalities. Nevertheless, all field findings will be further explored through an inspection audit of the related company. In addition, officers also found discrepancies in the vehicle chassis number, indicating the practice of forging the licence plate on the ALS bus. “Regarding the imposition of sanctions, we will investigate further,” he said. Before the accident occurred, the ALS bus was recorded passing through the Type A Batay Terminal in Lahat, heading to Medan, carrying a manifest of 10 passengers. When leaving the Lubuklinggau Terminal at 10:00 WIB, the manifest recorded 18 people consisting of 14 passengers and four crew members. The accident resulted in dozens of fatalities comprising bus passengers, bus crew, and tanker truck crew, as well as numerous injuries. Meanwhile, the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Team from Pusdokkes Polri is relying on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) examinations from bone samples to identify 17 accident victim bodies. Head of the DVI Division at Pusdokkes Polri, Commissioner Wahyu Hidayati, during a press conference in Palembang on Saturday, said that the majority of samples were taken from bones because the victims’ soft tissues were damaged due to the fire’s heat during the accident. “In the current condition, we are taking bones. We also select bones that are still red, which likely still contain DNA. Because if the bones have turned to charcoal, it won’t work,” she said. To date, the DVI team has received 15 antemortem samples from victims’ families to assist in identifying 16 victim bodies, including one child. “The DNA process does take some time. The fastest is five days. We ask for prayers so that all DNA profiles can emerge,” said Wahyu.