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INDONESIA-ACCIDENT
Dozen killed in Indonesia bus crash after passenger argument
JAKARTA, June 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Twelve people were killed and dozens
more injured in an Indonesian traffic accident Monday after a bus passenger
tried to wrest control of the steering wheel following an argument with the
driver, police said.
The accident happened at around 1:00 am Monday (1800 GMT Sunday) when the
coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing
into two cars and causing a truck to roll.
Some 43 people were injured in the multi-vehicle accident and rushed to
hospital, police said.
“In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take
control of the steering wheel… and the bus then lost control,” Atik
Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit, told AFP.
The 29-year-old passenger was severely injured, according to authorities.
It was not immediately clear if the bus driver survived.
Traffic accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, where
vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly
flouted.
In September, at least 21 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in
West Java’s Sukabumi region.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1253 hrs