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More cases of dead drivers reported in Jakarta
Two taxi drivers that reportedly died at the wheel on Tuesday add to a recent string of similar cases of people dying while driving in Greater Jakarta.
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People stand around a Blue Bird taxi in Kemang, South Jakarta, on Tuesday. The driver was found dead at the wheel after reportedly dying while driving. (TMC Polda Metro Jaya/File)
T
wo taxi drivers that reportedly died at the wheel on Tuesday add to a recent string of similar cases of people dying while driving in Greater Jakart.
The Jakarta Police, through the force’s Instagram account @tmcpoldametro, announced on Tuesday that they had found a Blue Bird taxi driver dead on the driver’s seat on Jl. Antasari Raya in Kemang, South Jakarta. A photograph shows the taxi on the sidewalk.
In a statement accompanying the post, the Jakarta Police identified the driver as 49-year-old Agung Hanggono, who is thought to have died at around 9 a.m.
A witness, Public Facility Maintenance Agency (PPSU) worker Purwanto, told the police that he had been working near the scene when he saw Agung’s taxi suddenly stop and move backward. Purwanto and local residents reportedly pushed the vehicle onto the sidewalk to prevent congestion in the area.
“Agung was reportedly carrying a foreigner on the back seat when the incident happened. The passenger reportedly exited the car and left after realizing that the driver was unconscious,” said the statement.
Blue Bird Group management, in a comment on the same Instagram post, expressed its condolences: “We have contacted Agung’s family and are working with the police and the hospital to investigate the cause of Agung’s death.”
Also on Tuesday, a similar incident occurred in West Jakarta, where a taxi driver identified as Tamrin, 55, was found dead behind the wheel after driving on the Sedyatmo toll road.
Kalideres Police chief Comr. Effendi said Tamrin, a resident of Kampung Ranca Gede in Tangerang, had been an employee of Gading Taksi.
“The taxi was heading from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Jakarta. While Tamrin was driving, the car reportedly slowed down on the left lane of the toll road until it came to a standstill,” Effendi said on Tuesday.
“The passengers [and witnesses, Rifai and Moh. Hadar] tried to alert Tamrin, but he was already unconscious,” he added.
Rifai and Hadar reportedly immediately called Jasa Marga toll road officials. Tamrin’s body was taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta.
Police found no signs of violence on the victim’s body and suspect the victim died of natural causes.
Several reports have emerged recently of drivers found dead on Jakarta roads.
On April 27, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Police in Cengkareng, Banten, found a dead man identified as Amar behind the wheel of a car with the engine running parked at Terminal 1C. Airport police spokesman Second Insp. Prayodo said the 47-year-old probably died from gas poisoning.
Another man, identified as Suyono, was found dead in the driver’s seat of a car on the Tanjung Barat overpass in South Jakarta on April 24. He is believed to have died of exhaustion while driving.
On April 8, a Blue Bird taxi driver identified as Aliudin was found dead after apparently passing away while parking his car at Kalideres Mall on Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta.
Police suspect Aliudin died from a heart attack. (ami)
