JAKARTA: A car and a packed church bus returning from an outing collided and plunged into a river in Indonesia’s West Java province, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than a dozen others, police said Wednesday.
The bus, carrying about 60 people from a church in northern Jakarta, was returning from a trip to the hilly resort town of Puncak when its brakes apparently malfunctioned, said local traffic police chief Capt. Muhammad Chaniago.
He said the bus hit a small car and crashed through the wall of a roadside building before both vehicles fell up to 8 meters (26 feet) into the river in Cisarua.
At least 18 people were confirmed dead and 40 injured, said Budi Aksono of the local disaster management agency.
“We are still looking for two kids reportedly crossing the street when the accident happened,” he added.
Local television footage showed images of both vehicles upside-down in the water. It was not immediately clear if the driver of the car survived.
Most of the dead were killed instantly, and those with injuries were rushed to two nearby hospitals, Chaniago said.
Road accidents are common in Indonesia due to poor safety standards and infrastructure.
At least 18 killed in Indonesia bus crash
