Three die in tragedy on Independence Day
Three die in tragedy on Independence Day
JAKARTA (JP): Independence Day celebrations in northern
Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, turned tragic on Friday when an
old two-story house collapsed, causing three people to die
instantly and injured 14 others, a number of them seriously.
The deceased, Slamet Jayadi, 6, Heriyanto, 5, and Agus
Setiawan, 18, along with the other 14 people injured in the
accident were watching Independence Day celebrations in the
vicinity when the front wall of the house collapsed at around 10
a.m.
According to eyewitnesses, it was still unclear whether the
collapse was caused by a strong gust of wind or by jolting, due
to several traditional competitions being held during the
celebrations. But they said the house was old and located in a
slum area.
Other residents tried to rescue the victims who were pinned
under the broken wall and suffered injuries to their heads and
bodies.
The deceased were then taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital for an autopsy while the injured victims were rushed to
the nearby Pertamina hospital.
Residents said they had often warned the house owner, Harno,
that his house, which seemed to be fragile, could collapse
easily. But he ignored them, Antara reported.
They had suggested that the competitions, such as tug-of-war,
and a gunnysack race, should not be held in front of the house.
But unfortunately, that was exactly where they were held.
To escape the wrath of neighbors, Harno and his family
reportedly moved to their relative's house, whose exact location
was not known.
Most of the victims came from poor families and had no money
to pay the hospital bills or for autopsies.
Some of the relatives of the 14 injured victims stated that
they planned to move the victims from Pertamina hospital to a
less expensive one.
But private radio station Jakarta News FM reported that an
official of the South Jakarta prosecutor's office paid the bills
for the autopsy.
The radio said that Slamet's grandfather, Anshori, dreamed on
Thursday night that he was surrounded by cockroaches before the
accident occurred.
"On Friday, I found my grandson (Slamet) and nephew (Agus)
died," said Anshori, bursting into tears. Slamet was an
elementary school student while his uncle, Agus, had just
graduated from senior high school. (jun)