The Jakarta Globe, September 19, 2013.
Bogor. An overcrowded Karawang Indah minibus transporting pilgrims from a holy site on Mount Cikundul, in Cianjur, West Java, careened off a cliff Wednesday night, killing two and injuring dozens, police said.
A woman named Oom, 40, and her 4-year-old grandson Alfiansyah died in the accident. Twenty-eight others suffered injuries, Adj. Cmr. Muhammad Chaniago, Head of Bogor Traffic Police, said.
The minibus was returning to the Babakanmadang sub-district after transporting the pilgrims to the tomb of R. Aria Wira Tanu bin Aria Wangsa Goparana, a popular holy site for some Sundanese Muslims. Aria, also known as Dalem Cikundul, was a member of a Sundanese royal family, and was credited as spreading Islam throughout Cianjur while serving as its first district head.
The 47 pilgrims had visited the site and were returning home Wednesday evening when the driver lost control of the overcrowded bus. The vehicle struggled to climb the steep cliff in Tanjungsari and began rolling backwards when the brakes failed. The bus then rolled over the side of a 15-meter-tall cliff, police said.
One of the survivors said passengers were standing in the aisle of the packed bus.
“On the ride home I fell asleep,” Omat, 37, said. “I woke up to passengers’ screams and the bus was shaking. When I gained consciousness I was in the hospital.”
Investigators questioned the driver, a man named Muhidin, as a witness in their report.
The injured were transported to the Cibinong Regional Hospital and the Red-Cross Hospital in Bogor for treatment.
*
do 19 sep 2013 - 20:22