Passenger bus crash in Indonesia kills at least 16 people, official says

At least 16 people were killed when a passenger bus overturned on a toll road in Indonesia’s Central Java province early Monday morning, officials reported.

The accident occurred just after midnight when the inter-province bus, carrying 34 passengers from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, lost control while navigating a curved exit ramp at the Krapyak tollway in Semarang city. The vehicle struck a concrete barrier before rolling onto its side.

“The forceful impact threw several passengers and left them trapped against the bus body,” said Budiono, the chief of the local search and rescue agency who, like many Indonesians, goes by a single name.

Emergency response teams arrived approximately 40 minutes after the crash. Six passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, while an additional 10 victims died either en route to hospitals or while receiving medical treatment.

Of the 18 survivors currently receiving medical care at two nearby hospitals, five remain in critical condition and 13 are listed as serious, according to Budiono.

Television footage from the scene showed the overturned yellow bus surrounded by personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency and police officers as ambulances transported victims away from the crash site.

Central Java Police Chief Ribut Hari Wibowo, speaking from Dr. Karyadi General Hospital in Semarang where authorities were working to identify victims, said witnesses reported the bus was traveling at high speed before the driver lost control.

The driver, who was a substitute and not the regular operator, sustained serious injuries but remained conscious and able to communicate with medical staff, according to Wibowo. “We are still investigating the cause of the crash and questioning the injured substitute driver,” he said, adding that police planned to conduct tests for prohibited substances, including drugs.

Road accidents are unfortunately common across Indonesia’s vast archipelago, where safety regulations are often inadequately enforced and vehicles frequently operate in poor condition. The country’s challenging terrain, combined with inadequate infrastructure maintenance in many areas, creates hazardous conditions for drivers.

The Jakarta-Yogyakarta route is a popular one for both tourists and locals, connecting Indonesia’s bustling capital with the culturally significant city of Yogyakarta, known for its ancient temples and royal heritage. The journey typically takes around eight hours by bus and serves as an important transportation link on Java, Indonesia’s most populous island with over 140 million residents.

Long-distance bus travel remains one of the primary modes of transportation for many Indonesians, particularly for those traveling between cities on the same island. While the country has made investments in its transportation infrastructure, including expanding its toll road network, safety issues persist.

The Indonesian government has previously launched campaigns to improve road safety, but enforcement challenges and the sheer volume of traffic continue to contribute to a high accident rate. According to data from Indonesia’s National Traffic Police Corps, thousands of road fatalities occur annually throughout the country.

Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims as they continue their investigation into the precise circumstances of the crash. The bus company involved has not issued a public statement regarding the incident.

Local officials have urged drivers to exercise caution, particularly when operating vehicles at night or in poor weather conditions on Indonesia’s busy roadways.