2003 East Java bus crash
On October 8, 2003, a highschool bus carrying mostly schoolgirls collided with two other trucks near Situbondo, East Java, leading to 54 casualties. It was the deadliest road accident in Indonesian history.[citation needed]
The bus was returning to Yapemda Junior High School in Sleman, Yogyakarta after a weeklong school trip to the Indonesian island of Bali. It was driving at night on a busy two-lane highway when another truck's brakes malfunctioned, causing it to swerve down the opposite lane and slid down a hill, smashing into the school bus. A delivery truck collided with the bus from behind, jamming the bus' doors shut.[1][2] The bus burst into fire, "completely gutted by fire."[3] Passengers tried to open the exit doors but found it jammed, while others managed to escape through the windows.[4]
54 people, all on the school bus, died in total. Of these, forty-nine were schoolgirls, two were boys, two were teachers, and the last was a tour guide.[3] The bus driver and his assistant survived but were badly injured.[5] Police officials said it was the deadliest transport accident that year.[2]
The truck driver and his assistant fled the scene after the crash occurred,[5] leading to their arrest a few days later. The driver confessed that the assistant did not possess a driving license and that their vehicle had been speeding while driving on two lanes simultaneously.[6]
| 2003 East Java bus crash | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | October 8,2003 |
| Location | Skeleton Road,Situbondo |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Incident type | Road accident |
| Cause | Lost of brakes leading to collision |
| Statistics | |
| Vehicles | 3 |
| Passengers | 54 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Deaths | 54 |
| Injured | 2 |
References
- ^ "54 Dead In Indonesia Bus Crash". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ a b "Indonesian crash claims over 50 lives". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ a b "School-bus crash and fire kill 54 in remote East Java - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. October 10, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ "CNN.com - Schoolgirls die in bus crash - Oct. 9, 2003". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ a b Agencies (October 9, 2003). "54 dead in Indonesian bus crash". the Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ "Three detained over fiery Java bus crash". ABC News. October 11, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  | This Indonesian history-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article related to bus transport is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |