Police Say 13 Dead, 40 Injured in Puncak Bus Crash
Vento Saudale | February 10, 2012
Bogor Police have confirmed that at least 13 people were killed when a Karunia Bhakti bus lost control and crashed into several vehicles in Puncak pass early on Friday evening.
Bogor Police Accident Unit chief 2nd Insp. Mulya said another 40 people were injured, but numbers may go up as emergency workers were having difficulty evacuating the dead and wounded from the scene because of the heavy traffic that had formed in the area as residents gathered to see the mayhem.
Based on eyewitness accounts, police have put together a chronology of the accident.
At about 6:30 p.m., around 300 meters from Taman Safari, the bus, which was traveling from Garut to Jakarta, lost control and collided head on with another bus going the opposite way.
Most of the victims were passengers of the second bus. Mulya said that the bus then hit three flatbed pick-up trucks, two angkots, four passenger cars and three motorcycles.
It also hit a bakso stand, killing the vendor, before plunging into a five-meter ravine.
The bus also hit an electrical pole, cutting off electricity in the immediate area.
An eyewitness, Susan Hagustina, said she saw the bus speeding before the crash.
“The bus suddenly lost control and hit the bus in front of it, private cars and shops,” she said, adding that it was raining at the time of the accident.
Jakarta Globe
vr 10 feb 2012 - 16:38