Six people died when a tour bus plunged into a 15-meter ravine in Gondosuli, Tawangmangu district, Karanganyar regency, Central Java, at noon on Sunday.

The bus operated by Sularis Jaya, and carrying 28 passengers, comprising teachers from elementary school SD Jimbaran in Sidoarjo, East Java, and their families who were on an outing, was traveling from Sidoarjo when the accident occurred.

A witness said the driver lost control the bus on a sharp turn and it plunged into the Banaran River.

“Maybe the brakes could not function properly. I was surprised the bus kept traveling at a high speed although the road is very twisting. I shook when I saw the bus hit the central reservation and plunge into the ravine,” said Didik Setyawan, 43.

The police, supported by search and rescue personnel, conducted an evacuation of the passengers led by Karanganyar Police deputy chief Comr. Prawoko. The survivors were taken to Tawangmangu community health center while the dead were taken to Karanganyar Regional General Hospital.

“The evacuation process is quite difficult because the bus is at the bottom of the ravine. Most of the passengers who survived the incident were badly shocked,” said Prawoko.

Meanwhile, head of Karanganyar Police traffic unit First Insp. Maryadi said that apart from the six people killed in the crash, dozens of other passengers suffered severe injuries.

“We took the severely injured victims straightaway to the hospital. In the evacuation process, we prioritized the survivors so they could immediately get medical treatment,” said Maryadi. (ebf)

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Ganug Nugroho Adi

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