24 died bus plunged into ravine in Sumatra
JAKARTA: At least two dozen people died and 13 others were injured after a bus plunged into a ravine in South Sumatra province, police said.
Local police spokesman Dolly Gumara said the bus carrying dozens of passengers careered into a 150 metre ravine in South Sumatra province just before 12 midnight late last night and ended up in a river.
“It crashed into the concrete road barrier before plunging into the ravine. Some people are still trapped inside the bus,” Gumara said, adding no other vehicle was involved.
Gumara said search and rescue teams have been deployed to look for victims and injured survivors were taken to hospital.
The accident happened in a remote and steep area near the town of Pagar Alam, hampering the efforts to rescue the victims.
The regional bus left Bengkulu province for Pagar Alam with only 27 passengers but some survivors told police there were around 50 people on board when the accident happened.
“Some passengers were probably added along the way so there’s a possibility some more people are still missing in the river,” Gumara said, adding the cause was being investigated.
Traffic accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly flouted.
The Jakarta Post
