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Road Accidents in Batang Kill 15 People
Candra Malik | March 17, 2010

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Batang, Central Java. At least 15 people were killed in two vehicle accidents that occurred within the space of an hour on Tuesday night, local police said on Wednesday.

Police say at least 10 people were killed and dozens more injured when a crowded passenger bus that had been speeding spun out of control and collided with a truck in Batang at 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

The bus had left Ponorogo, East Java, and was headed for Jakarta. The crash occurred on the major north-coast Pantura Highway in Penundan village, Banyuputih district.

Batang Police Chief Ahmad Lutfi said the bus tried to pass another vehicle and collided head-on with the truck.

The bus driver and nine passengers were killed and at least 34 others were injured, 14 seriously, he said.

“The driver, Arifin Sembiring, 55, from Sragen [Central Java] died at the scene,” Lutfi said.

Exactly an hour before the collision, a cargo truck carrying steel plates crashed into a cliff in Batang. Some of the truck’s cargo fell off, crushing five passengers in a pickup truck. “They died on the spot,” Lutfi said.

“Alexander Swabessy, the driver, and one passenger, Aris Ferbriyanto, survived but they could not questioned because they were still in shock.”

The accidents occurred two days after police in Jakarta reminded motorists that speeding could cost irresponsible drivers a year in jail.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar told the Jakarta Globe that under new traffic laws issued last year, drivers faced up to one year behind bars and a Rp 3 million ($327) fine for speeding. The measures also outlawed street racing in the capital, he said.

The Jakarta Police recorded 1,701 fatalities due to road accidents in 2009, while 1,164 people died on the roads the year before. The speed limit on main roads is 100 kilometers per hour, while for secondary roads it is set at 70 km per hour. The minimum speed allowed on highways is 60 km per hour.