Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA) - A passenger bus plying on the Bengkulu-Palembang route plunged into a ravine in the Liku Lematang area of Perahu Dempo Village, Pagaralam City, South Sumatra Province, Monday evening, killing 24, of which seven were identified.

Among the dead identified so far are the driver, Fery, and his assistant, Yuda Sanjaya. The five others identified are Ilyas, Warsono, Imron, Ali Jaya, and Feri, according to the Besemah Public Hospital authority here on Tuesday.

The Sriwijaya Bus that crashed into the ravine was carrying onboard 37 passengers, of which 13 survived though were injured. The survivors included Basarudin, Hepriadi, Hasanah, Sukiyem, Aisyah Awaliah Putri, Ariri, and Lukman.

The six other survivors are identified as Aldi, Riduan, Darusalam, Riki, Haris Krisyanto, and Khadijah, Head of the Palembang Search and Rescue Agency's Operational and Preparedness Division Benteng Telau remarked.

In the past fortnight, Indonesia has borne witness to several fatal traffic accidents.

On Saturday evening (Dec 21), for instance, the Agro Parahyangan passenger train hit a van that was making its way at a railway crossing on Bosih Road in Wanasari Village, Cibitung Sub-district, Bekasi District, West Java Province, killing seven passengers in the car.

"All of them died at the site of the accident," Bekasi Metropolitan Police Spokesman Adjunct Commissioner Sunardi stated.

According to eye witnesses, the ill-fated van's driver, Bahrudin, crossed the railway line despite being warned by local residents of the shortly arriving Agro Parahyangan train heading to Jakarta, he remarked.

The traffic accident resulted in the deaths of the 51-year-old driver and six other people in the van: Watinah (50), Santi (30), Didit (12), Yanto, Syarufudin (49), and Yanda (32).

They are residents of the Utan Kayu Selatan Village, Matraman Sub-district, East Jakarta.
"The corpses are being kept at the Bekasi District Public Hospital's morgue," he stated.

Sunardi remarked that the accident took place after the driver of the blue Sigra van, bearing license plate B 1778 FZI, failed to pay heed to the local people's warning and signal of the Bosih railroad crossing gate.
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Translator: Aziz M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
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