An inter-city bus that plunged into a ravine in Pagar Alam district, South Sumatra and killing dozens should not have been driven by the man behind the wheel in the first place, police said, as their investigation into the incident revealed that his driver’s license (SIM) expired nine years ago.
Just before midnight on Monday, a bus driving on a winding road with sharp declines swerved off the road and plunged down an 80-meter ravine before crashing into a river. Police believe the brakes of the bus malfunctioned and the driver lost control of the vehicle.
As of yesterday afternoon, the official death toll from the incident stood at 31 while 14 people were injured. Officials say many of the bodies were recovered down the stream of the fast-flowing river.
“There is a possibility that there could be more victims,” head rescuer Benteng Telau said, adding that there may be at least three more passengers still unaccounted for.
The bus had a capacity to transport 52 passengers, but the exact number of people on board is not yet known. Many companies operating inter-city buses in Indonesia have been known to ignore vehicles’ maximum capacity and other safety standards before.
The driver was among those who were killed in the incident. According to the police, their investigation into the crash revealed that the driver’s SIM expired in 2010, while the bus’ operation permit expired 20 years ago.
“Police are still determining the official cause of the crash. Investigation will resume for the next two days,” National Police Traffic Corps Head Istiono said yesterday.
Several survivors told the police that a few hours before the deadly plunge, the same driver scraped his bus against a car and a road barrier. He was also said to be driving fast right before the incident.
Traffic accidents are common in Indonesia, where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules are regularly flouted.
In September 2018, at least 21 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in Sukabumi, West Java. In February of that year, at least 27 people died when a bus with 40 domestic tourists on board hit a motorbike and crashed in Subang, also in West Java.
