A bus carrying 61 students and teachers was returning to Depok High School outside the capital Jakarta late Saturday evening from the hilly resort of Bandung after a graduation ceremony, said West Java police spokesman Jules Abraham Abast.
On a downhill road, it went uncontrolled and crossed the lanes, hitting several cars and motorcycles, after which an influence pole, he added.
Nine people died on the scene and two others died later in hospital, including a teacher and an area driver, Abast said. Fifty-three other people were taken to hospital with injuries, some in critical condition, he added.
“We are still investigating the reason behind the accident, but preliminary investigation has shown that the bus’s brakes were malfunctioning,” Abast said.
Local television showed the crushed bus lying on its side at the hours of darkness, surrounded by rescuers, police and passersby as ambulances evacuated the injured.
Road accidents are common in Indonesia resulting from poor safety standards and infrastructure.
Last yr, a tour bus with an apparently drowsy driver hit a billboard on a highway in East Java, killing at the very least 14 people and injuring 19 others.
In 2021, a tour bus plunged right into a gorge within the hilly resort of Puncak in West Java after its brakes apparently failed, killing at the very least 27 people and injuring 39 others.
