Turnpike accidents claim six lives

BANDUNG: Six people died and five others were seriously injured in three separate traffic accidents on Saturday and Sunday on the busy Cipularang turnpike, which connects Jakarta and Bandung.

Toto Buntoro Hadi, a communications employee for state toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, said the first accident occurred at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday when a truck hit a minibus, killing one person and injuring three others.

Two hours later, a pickup truck carrying chickens from Tasikmalaya, West Java, struck a container truck, killing three people and injuring two people, who are now being treated at Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung.

The third accident took place on Sunday morning, killing two people. This accident occurred when a sedan swerved to avoid a Jasa Marga vehicle that had stopped in the middle of the turnpike to assist a truck that had broken down, losing control and flipping over.

Toto said authorities had not officially determined the causes of the accidents. "Maybe because it was raining and the road was slippery and the drivers were going too fast. Maybe they were tired," he said.

The turnpike, which opened seven months ago, was closed for a day at the beginning of the month for repairs after a section of the road subsided, creating a massive sinkhole. -- JP