Ministry of Transportation Awaits KNKT Report on Cause of ALS Bus Accident

The Ministry of Transportation is still awaiting the results of the National Transportation Safety Committee investigation and the police inquiry 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. This was stated by the Director General of Land Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Aan Suhanan. “The Directorate General of Land Transportation is awaiting the KNKT investigation results,” said Aan Suhanan, as quoted from Antara on Sunday, 10 May 2026. Aan has directly inspected the accident site involving the ALS bus with licence plate BK 7778 DL and the tanker truck with licence plate BG 8196 QB. He also expressed condolences for the incident that killed several passengers. “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,” said Aan. He noted that the Electronic Roadworthiness Test Certificate (BLUe) data for the bus remains valid until 11 May 2026. According to Aan, the ALS bus is suspected of committing serious violations as stipulated in Minister of Transportation Regulation Number 15 of 2019 on the Operation of Public Motor Vehicle Passenger Transport on Routes, Article 102. These violations include suspected forgery of travel documents, operation of a vehicle with an expired permit, and negligence in vehicle operation that allegedly caused the accident resulting in fatalities. However, all field findings will still be thoroughly examined through an inspection audit of the related company. In addition, officers found discrepancies in the vehicle chassis number, indicating possible forgery of the police number on the ALS bus. Aan stated that based on the violations found, the bus operator could face administrative sanctions such as suspension of the permit for six to 12 months up to revocation of the public transport route operation permit. “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 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 injured victims. To date, the police are still identifying 15 antemortem samples from the victims’ families to assist in identifying 16 bodies, including one child.