Wrecked: An officer attaches a strap to tow the wrecked minivan, which crashed into a truck in Sumedang, West Java, on Wednesday
span class="caption" style="width: 558px;">Wrecked: An officer attaches a strap to tow the wrecked minivan, which crashed into a truck in Sumedang, West Java, on Wednesday. Eight of the minivan’s 10 passengers reportedly died at the scene of the accident. (JP/Arya Dipa)
A speeding truck carrying used bottles crashed into a minivan after reportedly experiencing brake failure on Jl. Nyalindung, Sumedang, West Java, on Wednesday at around 4:15 a.m., killing eight people and injuring four others.
Sumedang Police traffic unit head Adj. Comr. Adanan Mangopang said the accident was situated some 18 kilometers east of Sumedang City.
The truck, Adanan said, was heading to Cirebon from Bandung when its brake system malfunctioned and the driver lost control on a steep downhill gradient.
The minivan, which was traveling in the opposite direction, was carrying 10 passengers who were en route to Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung to take one passenger named Endoh, who had colorectal cancer. The collision was unavoidable and the minivan was dragged several meters along the road.
According to witnesses, the truck overturned after the head-on collision. Sumedang Hospital spokesman Iman Budiman said the eight minivan passengers, including the driver, were dead on arrival at the hospital, while two others suffered fractures and head injuries.
The truck driver, identified as Darsikan, 51; and his assistant, Andri, 23, survived the crash and are currently being treated at the hospital. The police have detained the truck driver for questioning.
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