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Indonesia: At least 25 dead in bus crash

December 24, 2019

Thirteen people have also been injured, according to local police. The accident occurred shortly before midnight local time in South Sumatra province.

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Indonesia travel bus in Jakarta
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/R. Hamiid

At least 25 people died in Indonesia late on Monday night after a bus plunged into a river, according to police.

A further 13 were injured on the intercity bus from Bengkulu province to Palembang, the capital of neighboring South Sumatra province.

Read more: 'Voice of Germany' favorite is newcomer from Indonesia

The bus careered into a 150-meter (500-foot) ravine just before midnight (1600 UTC), local police spokesman Dolly Gumara told news agency AFP Tuesday.

"It crashed into the concrete road barrier before plunging into the ravine. Some people are still trapped inside the bus," Gumara said.

Berty Kowas, the head of the rescue team, told Metro TV: "Currently the evacuation is ongoing and some divers are searching [for victims] around the bus."

The vehicle was approaching a steep bend in Perahu Dipo village in Pagaralam district when it plummeted into the ravine before settling in a river.

jsi/mm (AFP,dpa)

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