Kutai to pay compensation money to bridge victims

Kutai Kartanegara Regent Rita Widyasari said her administration would give Rp 25 million (US$ 2.743) in compensation money to families of the dead victims of the recent bridge collapse.

“For the dead victims’ families we will provide Rp 25 million, Rp 10 million for the badly injured and Rp 5 million for those with minor injuries,” Rita said on Wednesday as quoted by Tempo.co.

The step was taken to show that the administration took responsibility for the collapse of the 710-meter bridge on Saturday at around 4.30 p.m. local time.

She said aside from paying the compensation money her administration would also replace vehicles that had fallen into the Mahakam River.

She said her administration had made calculations and put in an insurance claim of some Rp 12 billion.

To date search and rescue teams had found the bodies of 19 victims with 39 others injured in the incident.