The atmosphere at the Bendan Ngisor Sub-district office in Semarang City suddenly shifted to one of urgent activity. Faces etched with worry and hope were visible at the emergency response post established within the sub-district office.
Ambulances arrived one after another, transporting survivors from a tragic accident involving a picnic group from the sub-district’s health forum. Their arrival was met with the heart-wrenching cries and tears of their waiting families.
The bus carrying the group suffered a single-vehicle accident, overturning on the Pemalang-Batang Toll Road at KM 312B, specifically just before the Bandulan Toll exit. This fatal incident claimed the lives of four individuals.
Bearing her pain, one of the survivors, Siti Maemunah, recounted the harrowing moments leading up to the crash. She recalled feeling the bus speeding up significantly just before it overturned.
“The bus was going really fast, then it was swaying back and forth at the bend. Then thud, I didn’t know anything after that. It felt just like a dream,” Maemunah stated on Saturday (October 24).
From her seat at the back of the bus, Maemunah then heard desperate screams for help echoing throughout the vehicle. She quickly realized that people she knew were trapped amidst the wreckage after the bus had overturned.
“I saw all my friends crying, asking for help. I saw my friends trapped. I myself was also confused because I was looking around, and it turned out that was where I had fallen,” she further explained, detailing her disorientation.
The horrific event has left her traumatized, but she expressed profound gratitude for surviving and making it safely back to Semarang City.
“Yes, I’m traumatized. I don’t have any open wounds, but now I feel pain in my back,” Maemunah revealed about her condition.
A volunteer stationed at the emergency response post reported that five survivors had already been discharged. However, one individual was immediately rushed to Elisabeth Hospital due to a broken bone.
“Five people are here already, one person was taken to Elisabeth Hospital. As for the other victims, both those who died and those who were injured, they are still en route,” confirmed the Bendan Ngisor sub-district volunteer.
The Head of Traffic Unit of Pemalang Resort Police, AKP Arief Wiranto, confirmed that the fatalities in this deadly incident sustained severe injuries, particularly head trauma resulting from hard impacts.
“All of them are residents of the same sub-district (Bendan Ngisor),” Arief clarified in his statement.
The incident occurred around 08:25 AM Western Indonesian Time (WIB). The tourist bus, carrying 34 people, was traveling from Semarang towards Jakarta, with its ultimate destination being the Guci tourist attraction in Tegal.
“However, as it approached the Bandulan Toll exit, where the road curves, the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to strike the road barrier and subsequently overturn,” Arief explained, detailing the preliminary cause of the bus crash.
The four fatalities in the incident have been identified as:
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Abdul Gofur (72);
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Sri Fitriani (56);
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Endah Ciptaningrum (46);
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Khomsiyah (50).
Summary
A bus carrying 34 members of a health forum from Semarang crashed on the Pemalang-Batang Toll Road at KM 312B on October 24, resulting in four fatalities. The incident occurred near the Bandulan Toll exit when the driver allegedly lost control on a curve, causing the bus to strike a road barrier and overturn. The deceased sustained severe head trauma.
Survivor Siti Maemunah described the bus speeding and swaying violently before the accident, leading to her disorientation and trauma. An emergency response post in Semarang received other survivors, with one seriously injured person transferred to Elisabeth Hospital. All four victims who died were identified as residents of the same Bendan Ngisor sub-district.