Seven die in Central Java traffic accidents

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto, Central Java

At least seven people were killed in two separate accidents over the weekend in Central Java as the number of travelers slowly increased ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday.

Three people were killed and two injured when a pickup carrying a load of bricks was hit by passenger train Logawa on Sunday in Sukoharjo, and four people were killed and several others injured on Saturday when commercial bus Sahabat was involved in a multiple crash in Batang.

Batang Police chief Edy S. Setjo said the accident occurred as the speeding bus driver was unable to avoid a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction.

The bus, which was traveling from provincial capital Semarang to Pekalongan, veered to the right but hit the oncoming motorcycle and another parked on the roadside, killing two motorcyclists and a pillion passenger instantly.

The bus then crashed into a tree, rolled and came to a stop. The replacement driver was also killed.

Motorcyclists Surono and Amat, pillion passenger Hadi and replacement driver Murid were pronounced dead at the scene.

Dozens of bus passengers were also injured and are now being treated at the Batang Public Hospital.

The bus driver, who fled from the scene of the accident, is being hunted down by local police.

The Sukoharjo train-pickup collision occurred as the truck was crossing a railroad.

Truck driver Alex Suwondo, who was injured, said the railroad crossing barrier was still up when he arrived at the tracks.

Railroad gatekeeper Sarwan, however, negated Alex's statement, saying that the gate was already halfway down as the pickup approached. Instead of stopping, he said, the truck continued across the tracks as the train was bearing down upon it.

"The crash was inevitable," he said.

Shotgun passenger Iskandar also survived the collision, and was admitted to Surakarta Islamic Hospital along with Alex.

The pickup's three passengers -- Dasmin, Suwardi and Sukimin -- were killed in the crash. Their bodies were taken to the morgue at Sebelas Maret University Hospital in Surakarta.

Sarwan said the Purwokerto-Jember train did not stop its journey after the accident and continued on to Jember, East Java.

Danang Parikesit, director of the Center for Transportation and Logistics Studies at Gadjah Mada University, said there was a dramatic decline in the safety of land transportation vehicles in the last five years.

Train collisions, trucks and train crashes, bus accidents and pedestrians hit by cars and motorcycles were all too common, he said.

He said the increasing number of accidents were caused by the negligence and ignorance on the part of the government and transportation operators as to the importance of passenger safety.

Millions of people are expected to travel throughout Java via various transportation means ahead of and during the Idul Fitri holiday that falls on Nov. 25, raising fears that traffic accidents will continue to rise.

Over the past few months, several fatal road accidents have occurred across the country, claiming dozens of lives.

In early October, more than 50 female high school students were killed in Situbondo, East Java, after their bus, chartered for a school trip to Bali, collided head-on with a trailer truck, was rear-ended by a pickup, then burst into flames.

Last Friday, at least seven people were killed and three others injured in a crash involving two buses and a truck in Ngawi, East Java.