JAKARTA (AFP) – At least 12 people were killed in Indonesia on Monday when a car crashed into a bus and another car on a busy highway as people travel to celebrate Aidilfitri with families, a minister said.
“It was confirmed that there were 12 passengers,” in the car that crashed into the coach, chief development minister Muhadjir Effendy told reporters.
“And all of them died,” he said.
Two people – a coach attendant and a passenger in the bus were injured in the crash, Effendy said.
The accident occurred on a highway in Karawang town of West Java province at around 7am when a car heading east from Jakarta swerved and crashed into the bus and another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.
Television footages broadcast earlier on Monday showed two wrecked cars that were completely burnt in the aftermath of the accident.
The accident occurred as millions of Indonesians are travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with their families.
More than 800,000 vehicles were recorded leaving Greater Jakarta between April 3 and 6, local media reported.
Indonesia’s transportation ministry projected up to 193.6 million people will travel during the Eid holiday this year, with some 28.4 million people projected to leave from Greater Jakarta area.
The figure was higher than the 123 million people estimated to have made the trip last year.
Transport accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation where buses, trains and even planes are often old and poorly maintained.
In 2015, a collision between a commuter train and a minibus on a level crossing in the capital Jakarta killed 16 people.
