Indonesia bus crash kills 16, rescuer says

Sign up now: Get insights on Asias fast-moving developments

JAKARTA – A coach bus slammed into a barrier on an Indonesian highway early on Dec 22, flipping over in an accident that killed at least 16 people, a rescue worker said.

The bus, which was headed from the capital Jakarta to Yogyakarta, was travelling at a “fairly high” speed when it reached a turn at a highway interchange, local search and rescue agency head Budiono said in a statement.

It overturned after colliding with the road barrier.

“We... have evacuated 34 people,” said Mr Budiono, who goes by one name.

He added that 15 people were pronounced dead at the scene, while another person died in hospital.

Several victims were transported to the city of Semarang for treatment, he said.

Footage shared by the agency showed rescuers moving a victim into a body bag as the nearby bus lay on its side.

Transport accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast South-east Asian archipelago where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly flouted.

In 2024, at least 12 people were killed when a car crashed into a bus and another car on a busy highway as people travelled to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

And in 2019, at least 35 people were killed when a bus plunged into a ravine on the western island of Sumatra. AFP