Reporter dies from bus crash

Reporter dies from bus crash

JAKARTA (JP): A reporter from the Pelita newspaper in Jakarta died in Madiun, East Java, yesterday, 10 days after the minibus that he and other reporters were riding in plunged into a river.

Pudji Hartono Hermawan, 34, was on a media tour organized by the National Family Planning Board visiting villages across Java.

Board spokesman Soepardjo confirmed Pudji's death yesterday, but he had no details on the cause of the death.

"We're still waiting for an autopsy report," Soepardjo told The Jakarta Post.

Seven others, including five journalists, were injured in the accident in Purwosari village in Magetan. Five of the injured, including a reporter of The Jakarta Post, have since been discharged from hospital.

The two still in hospital as of yesterday were Dice from the RRI state radio station, Surabaya, who was in Madiun hospital with broken ribs, and Agus Fanani from the Karya Dharma magazine, who was being treated in Magetan for a broken limb.

Survivors of the accident said Pudji was the last person to be pulled from the wreck. Although he had no visible injuries, he spent too long under the muddy water, one survivor said.

The journalists were among 18 reporters who were touring family planning offices in West Java, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta and Lampung.

Pelita's chief editor H.A. Baidhowi Adnan said news of Pudji's death came as a shock, although the newspaper was informed on Monday that his condition was worsening.

"I asked the family planning board office to transfer Pudji to Jakarta which has better medical facilities, but he died before I got an answer," he said.

Pudji's body was being moved to Jakarta yesterday. (01/emb)