Two die in Bogor van crash

JAKARTA (JP): A Bogor inner-city minivan driver and a passenger died when their vehicle rolled into a 15-meter-deep ravine in Buntar River near Jl. Raya Tajur on Thursday night.

Two other passengers were seriously injured and remain in Ciawi General Hospital, Antara reported yesterday.

Police -- who found pills containing the barbiturate nipam in the car -- believe that the driver of the Angkot (public minivan) may have been drunk.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the minivan driver lost control of the vehicle after trying to take a left turn on the dimly lit road about 8:30 p.m. The car careered off the road, which was lined with bushes instead of a barrier.

The driver was Dwi Kelana Pambudi, 31, of Muara Sari village in South Bogor and the passenger killed in the crash was M. Khotib, 47, of Cihiuleut in Baranangsiang subdistrict in East Bogor.

Police have not released the identities of the two injured passengers.

The car, bearing license plate number F 1932 AF and plying the Merdeka-Sukasari route, was badly damaged. The vehicle's roof is now almost level with the floor.

The accident went unnoticed until some security guards of PT Paradisa, a private firm located nearby, went to investigate the noise.

They initially searched the company's grounds without success and some guards decided to take a look outside.

After crossing a bridge, they heard people screaming for help from the ravine.

Using torches, the security guards made their way down to the car, which had nosedived into 50 centimeters of water.

According to the guards, the driver and the dead passenger were found in the front seats.

Police said they needed to collect more information from the injured passengers before making a final announcement about the cause of the accident. (bsr)