Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Malang, East Java
Four people died and dozens more were injured in two separate traffic accidents in the mountainous East Java regency of Malang on Monday.
In the first accident, three people died, including two young children, when a tourist bus crashed into a food stall.
The badly burned bodies of Umami, 5, Husni Mubarok, 5, and Suyati, 27, were taken to Saiful Anwar General Hospital in Malang.
Dozens of other people injured in the accident were also transported to the hospital for treatment.
The accident occurred when a tourist bus tried to stop at a fruit market located on a steep hill. The brakes on the bus failed, causing it to roll backward into a food stall, which ignited a fire that tore through the stall and a nearby furniture kiosk.
The fire sent panicked passengers jumping from the bus. The three victims died when they leaped from the bus and were trapped in the flames.
The bus was carrying some 55 kindergartners and their mothers from Sutoredjo, Mojokerto regency, to Jatim Park in the tourist resort of Batu for a picnic.
Welas, 45, who witnessed the accident, said the bus caught fire after crashing into the unattended food stall.
"The bus crash and the flash fire caused passengers to panic and jump out of the bus. The three victims jumped out and landed on the burning food stall," he said.
Police are questioning the bus's driver and conductor about the accident.
Alex Yudiwan, a minibus driver who was several meters behind the bus when the accident occurred, said the bus was stopped by a transportation officer who was collecting levies.
"The conductor put a bar behind the rear wheel of the bus but it didn't stop it from rolling back," he said.
Survivors of the fire remained in shock at the tragic turn of events.
Jamani, who was with her son, said the fatal accident had left her traumatized.
Another survivor said she regretted not heeding her husband's advice that she not take part in the picnic.
In the second accident, a bus carrying high school students from Surabaya collided head-on with a fuel truck in Malang, killing the bus' driver, Surahman.
Revi, a passenger, said the collision occurred as the bus driver slowed down to enter a way station.
The driver died on the way to the hospital from injuries sustained in the crash.
Malang Police chief Sr. Comr. Safrizal Achyarn said investigations into the accidents were still underway.
