4 die in East Java bus crash

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 02/13/2012 11:15 AM


After two deadly pileups involving buses in the past two days, another bus rammed into a tree on Jl. Ngawi-Madiun in Tempuran village, Ngawi, East Java, on Monday morning, killing four people and injuring dozens.

"We are registering the number of fatalities and injuries. So far we have recorded four people dead and 32 others injured,” said Ngawi traffic police chief Comr. Toni.

“All victims are passengers of this Mira bus,” he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

According to eyewitnesses, the accident took place at 3:30 a.m.

The Mira bus was travelling at 100 kilometers per hour on the road from Ngawi to Madiun when a truck coming from the other direction turned into the road to enter a storage building. In trying to slow down the bus, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a tree.

Victims were taken to Ngawi City Hospital and Soedono Hospital in Madiun.

Buses have become death traps for passengers due to reckless driving, with at least 17 people being killed and dozens injured in the past three days in bus-related accidents. On Friday, a bus plunged into a ravine after being involved in a deadly pileup that claimed 14 lives in Puncak, West Java.

Another tourist bus also rammed into several vehicles, including a horse-driven cart in Majalengka, West Java, on Sunday morning, claiming three lives and leaving at least 16 injured. (dmr)