Three die in toll road accident

TANGERANG: Three people were killed instantly, four suffered serious injuries and two others were slightly wounded in an accident that occurred on the Jakarta-Merak toll road in Cikupa, Tangerang, on Sunday evening.

Tangerang Traffic Police chief Insp. Sudarmanto told the media on Monday that the fatal accident began as Abdullah, the driver of an Isuzu Panther minivan carrying 10 passengers from Jakarta, lost control.

The driver may have been drowsy, such that his vehicle zigzagged, then hit the fence on the median and crossed over to the highway carrying vehicles in the opposite direction. At the same time, an Isuzu Panther minitruck heading to Jakarta appeared and a collision was inevitable. The minivan then skidded into the gutter.

A pickup truck traveling from the Merak direction then hit the Panther minitruck before it was hit by a Big Bird bus.

Three passengers in the minivan were killed instantly at the site. They were Ohan Kusminan, 54, Dedi Jaelani, 25, and Titin, 17. They were residents of Cilangkit village, Ciwanda district of Cilegon. --JP