At least 16 killed when Indonesian passenger bus plunges into river

At least 16 killed when Indonesian passenger bus plunges into river

2011-06-27 21:38:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

MEDAN, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 16 people died after a passenger bus carrying 65 people plunged into a river in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, officials said Monday.

Indonesian Transportation Society chairman Danang Parikesit said the accident occurred on Sunday in a river in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra and involved a bus that had left Medan, North Sumatra and was heading toward the province of Bengkulu, the Jakarta Globe reported.

According to local police, the bus was trying to climb a steep road in the Sipirok subdistrict, but the engine failed or was not strong enough to handle the slippery road due to constant rainfall, causing the bus to go backwards and roll down the road until falling in the river.

Danang said 49 people had survived the accident and confirmed the number of fatal victims, describing the incident as the worst bus accident this year. The injured and deceased were transported to a local hospital in Sipirok. However, local authorities fear that the death toll could rise as emergency teams are unsure whether there were more people trapped inside.

Search and rescue teams were forced to stop their efforts Sunday night due to the weather and heavy rainfall, but they were reportedly continuing their efforts to pull the bus out of the water on Monday morning.

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