Indonesia: Bus plunges into ravine killing 27 pilgrims
A tourist bus plunged into a ravine on Indonesia's main island of Java after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 27 people and injuring 39 others. The bus was carrying a group of Islamic junior high school students, teachers, and parents to the town of Subang when the accident happened late Wednesday on a winding road, said local police Chief Eko Prasetyo Robbyanto.
Police is trying to ascertain the exact cause
The bus was on its way back to Subang from a pilgrimage site in the province's Tasikmalaya district when it plunged into the 20-meter-deep ravine after the driver lost control of the vehicle in an area with a number of sharp declines in Sumedang district. "Police is still investigating the cause of the accident, but survivors said that the vehicle's brakes malfunctioned," Robbyanto said.
Thirteen are being treated for serious injuries
Bandung search and rescue agency Chief Deden Ridwansah said, "The 27 bodies and 39 injured people were taken to a hospital and a nearby health clinic, including a body of a young boy who was pinned under the overturned bus and pulled from the wreckage Thursday morning." "Thirteen of them are being treated for serious injuries," Ridwansah added. The driver was among those killed.
Grieving relatives waiting for information about their loved ones
Television video showed police and rescuers from the National Search and Rescue Agency evacuating injured victims and carrying the dead to ambulances. Grieving relatives waited for information about their loved ones at Sumedang's General Hospital, others tried to identify the bodies laid at a morgue.
Indonesia witnesses many accidents due to poor safety standards
Road accidents are extremely common in Indonesia because of their poor safety standards and road infrastructure. In December 2019, 35 people were killed when a passenger bus fell into an 80-meter-deep ravine and crashed into a fast-flowing river on Sumatra island. In early 2018, 27 people were killed after a packed tourist bus plunged from a hill in West Java's hilly area.
