Accident in Cipali Toll Road Claims 12 Lives

TEMPO.CO, Bandung - A traffic accident occurred at KM 150.9 of the Cikopo-Palimanan or Cipali toll road in the early hours of Monday, June 17, 2019. Twelve people were reported killed in the accident while 11 people had been severely injured and 34 others had minor injuries.

The accident involved four vehicles; a bus with registration number H-1469-CB, two minibusses Toyota Innova with registration number B-168-DIL and Mitsubishi Expander with registration number B-8137-PI, and a truck with registration number R-1436-ZA.

West Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko confirmed that the accident occurred at around 01:00 AM on Monday, June 17 and killed 12 people. "Yes, it happened early today," said Trunoyudo via a short message to Tempo on Monday, June 17, 2019.

The accident occurred when the Safari bus headed off to Cirebon from Jakarta suddenly entered the opposite lane and hit the minibusses and the truck heading to Jakarta.

Based on the witnesses' testimony, Trunoyudo explained that a passenger allegedly attempted to hijack the car and was trying to take control of the bus. This leads to a debate between the bus driver and the passenger, and later caused the bus to lost control and hitting three vehicles in the opposite lane.

Cipali toll road operator Lintas Marga Sedaya (LMS) and the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) will provide assistance to investigate the accident. "KNKT has coordinated with LMS to start the investigation and we will give our best and help the handling process to run smoothly," said LMS vice director Firdaus Azis in a short message on Monday, June 17, 2019.

AMINUDIN  | FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA