Pregnant woman dies in six-car pileup

JAKARTA (JP): A pregnant woman was killed after being hit by a petrol tanker in a chain collision on Jl. Raya Lapangan Tembak, Cibubur, East Jakarta yesterday.

Chief Sgt. Yudhitama, from the Kebon Nanas traffic police station, said that Marlina, 27, a resident of Gg. Buni, Munjul, East Jakarta, was the only fatality.

Yudhitama said other people were injured in the six-car pileup, including many passengers in minivans and a public minibus. He declined to give details on the number of people injured.

The officer said Marlina, who was carrying her three-year-old daughter Evi, was standing on the sidewalk at 9 a.m. and preparing to cross the road to Cibubur market.

But the petrol tanker, heading for Cawang, was traveling at high speed and unable to stop due to faulty brakes, he said.

Muhammad, 46, the driver of the tanker, allegedly admitted that he was trying to avoid another car when he steered to the left side of the road.

Marlina, who was five-months pregnant, had just stepped down from the sidewalk when the tanker hit her. Marlina and her baby were killed instantly but she managed to throw her daughter aside, saving the toddler's life.

The other five vehicles -- a truck transporting pebbles, a sedan, a minibus and two minivans -- crashed in a chain collision as the drivers had no time to brake.

All the vehicles involved were heading from Cibubur to Cawang.

Muhammad was taken to Ciracas police sub-precinct for questioning while Marlina's body was taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital for a post-mortem examination. (04)