Car hits 12 pedestrians, 8 dead

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 01/22/2012 3:29 PM


A woman driving a black minivan, with her three friends as passengers, lost control of the vehicle and plowed into 12 pedestrians in front of the PLN office at Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Sunday, claiming the lives of eight people and injuring the other four, a police officer has said.

Jakarta Traffic Police deputy chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Wahyono said the dead comprised three women, four men and a 2.5-year-old infant. He added that the injured were currently receiving treatment at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital.

“We took the female driver and her three friends to the police station for further questioning,” Wahyono said on Sunday as quoted by tempo.co. He refused to release any information regarding the driver’s identity due to safety concerns.

Several media outlets, however, identified the driver as a 29-year-old Apriani Susanti. She was driving a black Daihatsu Xenia with registration plate B 2479 XI, Antara news agency reported.

He said the police were right now focusing on finding out the cause of this tragic accident

January 23, 2012

A female driver who killed nine people when she drove into a group of pedestrians in Tugu Tani, Central Jakarta, has allegedly confessed to taking illegal narcotics before the horror accident on Sunday.

It has also been revealed driver Arfriani Susanti was driving without a valid license in an unregistered car.

Sr. Comr. Rikwanto, a Jakarta Police spokesman, said a sample of urine from Arfriani had tested positive for amphetamines.

The woman had confessed to taking the party drug ecstasy prior to the accident at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

There were also indications she had allegedly been drinking.

Rikwanto said police believe she had taken shabu-shabu, a local term for crystal methamphetamine.

She would face multiple charges, Rikwanto said.

Arfriani allegedly mowed down the group of pedestrians, killing nine — including a three-year-old boy — and injuring three others.

The woman and three passengers have been detained.


(x the JG)