Journalism of Courage
At least 16 people were killed when a passenger bus crashed on Indonesia’s main island of Java shortly after midnight on Monday, an official said.
The bus, which was carrying 34 passengers, lost control on a toll road, hit a concrete barrier and overturned onto its side, according to Budiono, a chief with Indonesia’s search and rescue agency.
The inter-province bus was travelling from the capital Jakarta to Yogyakarta when the accident happened on a curved exit ramp at the Krapyak toll road in Semarang city, Central Java, Budiono said.
“The strong impact threw several passengers and left others trapped against the bus body,” he told the Associated Press (AP).
Police and rescue teams reached the site around 40 minutes after the crash. Six passengers were found dead at the scene, Budiono said. Another 10 people died while being taken to hospital or during treatment.
Eighteen injured passengers were taken to two nearby hospitals. Of them, five were reported to be in critical condition and 13 were seriously injured, he said.
Television footage showed the yellow bus lying on its side as rescue workers, police officers and bystanders gathered at the scene. Ambulances were seen taking injured passengers and bodies away.
