Police question PLN over death of SMAN 6 student caused by dangling cable

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Police are questioning officers from the state electricity company PLN over an accident that resulted in the death of a student from SMAN 6 Jakarta after the vehicle she was riding in became snagged on a dangling cable on Jalan Lauser, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. “Investigators from the Traffic Accident Unit of the South Jakarta Metro Police have sent a letter to PLN requesting an explanation as to why there was a cable there,” said Head of Public Relations AKP Joko Adi to reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday. Joko stated that investigators have taken statements from two witnesses, namely the driver and a passenger of the school bus involved in the incident on Thursday (18/6). The police also plan to take a statement from the victim’s family but are still waiting for an appropriate time. “We have not yet been able to take a statement from the family witnesses, likely because they are still in mourning,” he said. The tragic incident occurred on Thursday (18/6) at around 5.30 a.m. Western Indonesian Time, when the motorcycle carrying the victim was passing through the location. The motorcycle’s handlebars are suspected to have snagged on a cable that was stretched across and protruding into the roadway, causing the vehicle to wobble and the rider to fall. The victim then fell and was run over by a school bus that was passing by. The school bus has been temporarily secured by the traffic accident unit of the South Jakarta Metro Police, and the victim was taken to the nearest hospital.