Turnpike accidents claim six lives

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