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At least 16 killed after passenger bus loses control, crashes in Indonesia's Java island
The bus, which was carrying 34 passengers, lost control on a toll road, hit a concrete barrier, and then overturned.
At least 16 people were killed after a passenger bus crashed on Indonesia’s main island of Java shortly after midnight on Monday, officials said.
The bus, which was carrying 34 passengers, lost control on a toll road, hit a concrete barrier, and then overturned, AP reported citing Budiono, a search and rescue agency chief who uses a single name, as is common in Indonesia.
Indonesia bus accident
The inter-provincial bus was travelling from the national capital, Jakarta, to the country’s historic royal city of Yogyakarta when the accident took place, he added.
Budiono said that several other victims were moved to Semarang city for treatment.
Notably, transport accidents are common in Indonesia, where many vehicles are ageing and poorly maintained, and traffic rules are often ignored, an AFP report said.
In 2024, at least 12 people died after a car rammed into a bus and another vehicle on a busy highway as travellers were heading out to mark Eid al-Fitr.
In 2019, a bus crash on the western island of Sumatra killed at least 35 people after the vehicle plunged into a ravine.
The incident comes two weeks after a fire tore through an office building in Jakarta and killed at least 22 people.
Indonesia office-building fire
Flames tore through the seven-storey building, sending black smoke into the air and causing panic among residents and workers in the central Jakarta neighbourhood.
Police said the fire is believed to have started on the first floor of the building in the Kemayoran area before spreading to other levels. Central Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro said hundreds of personnel and 29 fire engines were deployed to bring the blaze under control. The fire was put out after three hours of efforts.
At least 22 bodies were recovered from the building and taken to the police hospital in East Jakarta for identification. The victims included seven men and 15 women, among them a pregnant woman.
Authorities said most of the victims died due to smoke inhalation. Firefighters rescued at least 19 trapped workers, some of whom had minor injuries but were weak and traumatised. A police officer and a firefighter also reported breathing problems.
With inputs from agencies
