Three killed in multiple pileup

BOGOR (JP): Three people were killed and 12 injured in a chain collision in the Puncak hill resort area in Bogor on Monday evening, a police officer said.

Bogor Police chief Col. Hary Setyabudhi told reporters that the accident was caused when the brakes failed on a Gapuraning Rahayu inter-city bus plying the Banjar-Jakarta route.

"The bus could not be controlled so it hit vehicles queuing in front of it. It only stopped after hitting an embankment beside the road, before overturning on a Panther van," Hary was quoted by Antara as saying.

It was not immediately clear how many vehicles were involved in the accident.

Two of the five Panther van passengers, identified as Agung and Kris Purwanto, died on the spot. The other fatality, one of the bus passenger, was unidentified,

All the victims were rushed to the PMI General Hospital in Bogor.

Severely injured victims included Wawan (from Purwokerto), Apin (Ciamis), Rohyati (Garut), Nurdin (Ciamis), Mamat (Tasik), Hinhin (Tasik) and Mar Ridwan (Garut).

The police are hunting the bus driver who fled the scene as soon as the accident occurred. The incident caused a three-hour traffic jam. (hhr)