Two people in Purwerjo, Central Java, died on Friday after military officials made what many are calling an incredibly irresponsible decision to give pre-school and kindergarten students rides on military tanks for a field trip.
On Friday morning, 152 pre-schoolers and kindergarteners, along with 11 teachers, went on a field trip to the Bogowonto river to get up close and ride on a M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) belonging to the Indonesian Military (TNI).
One tank, which was carrying 20 children, was reportedly driving on the river bank when the ground underneath it gave way. The tank then fell into the river and sank. Luckily, all of the children on board were saved, but two adults — one of them an infantryman and the other a school headmaster, both of whom helped rescue the children — died.
“First Officer Randi was exhausted after saving the kids from being carried away by the current, and he eventually was carried by the current himself. He passed away at a nearby hospital. The head of the Ananda Kindergarten Foundation, Iswandari, also died in the hospital after being carried away by the current,” said Indonesian Army Spokesperson Colonel Alfret Denny Tuejeh, as quoted by Tirto on Saturday.
Three children and one adult were also reportedly hospitalized, but they are expected to make full recoveries.
Alfret said the military and the police are investigating the cause of the accident together.
“This incident has become an important lesson for the Army and we hope something like this won’t happen again in the future,” he said.
Both the military and the field trip organizers have been barraged with heavy criticism for allowing small children to ride in the tanks. The House of Parliament (DPR) plans to summon the TNI to demand an explanation for the incident.
Army Chief General Mulyono insisted that the APC, which was eventually recovered from the river, is new and in good working condition. He says the Army will not cover up anything from the investigation, while hinting that he would also evaluate the tank drivers’ ability to manoeuvre the armored vehicle on different terrains.
