At least 16 people have been killed and four others injured after a passenger bus collided head-on with a fuel tanker truck on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, officials have confirmed. The horrific incident occurred on Wednesday, May 6, around midday on the Trans-Sumatra Highway in the North Musi Rawas regency of South Sumatra province.
Details of the Crash
The intercity bus, which was carrying at least 20 passengers, struck a tanker truck traveling in the opposite direction, according to Mugono, a local disaster management agency official. Preliminary investigations suggested that the bus may have emitted sparks shortly before the collision, prompting the driver to steer toward the right side of the road in an attempt to avert a more serious incident. However, an oil tanker truck approached at high speed, leaving insufficient time to avoid a direct impact.
The forceful collision ignited a fire that quickly engulfed both vehicles, trapping many victims inside. “The forceful impact triggered a fire that engulfed both vehicles, leaving many victims trapped inside,” Mugono said.
Casualties and Survivors
The dead include the bus driver and 13 passengers, as well as the tanker driver and his assistant, all of whom burned to death inside the vehicles. Four bus passengers survived the crash and were taken to a nearby health clinic. Among them, three suffered severe burn injuries, while one sustained minor injuries. Mugono noted that authorities are still collecting data on the total number of fatalities as the passenger manifest is being traced.
Rescue and Investigation
Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed firefighters battling the blaze as thick plumes of black smoke and orange flames rose into the air. The charred remains of the bus and tanker truck littered the highway, with twisted metal scattered across the road. Rescuers, including disaster officers and traffic police, worked to evacuate victims and clear the wreckage, though several were pinned inside the vehicles, complicating rescue efforts and disrupting traffic along the highway.
Sixteen body bags containing the remains of victims have been received at Siti Aisyah Hospital in Lubuk Linggau for identification, according to North Musi Rawas traffic police chief Muhammad Karim. He stated that South Sumatra police Disaster Victim Identification teams have so far confirmed the identities of five victims: the bus driver, two bus crew members, the tanker driver, and one passenger. The remaining 11 victims have yet to be identified as forensic teams continue their work. “All the bodies are severely burned, which has complicated the identification process,” Karim said, adding that they are being processed before being transported by land to Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Palembang, the provincial capital, for autopsies.
Police investigators have revised earlier preliminary findings, now believing that the bus crossed into the opposite lane while attempting to avoid a pothole, causing the head-on collision and subsequent fire.
