Short circuit likely behind deadly bus fire in West Sumatra

Police say that a short circuit likely triggered the fire that killed 13 people on board a bus in Hulu Air in Harau district, Limapuluh Kota regency, West Sumatra, on Tuesday. “Witnesses said that the bus suddenly caught fire while passing along Jl. Negara West Sumatra-Riau at Kilometer 30 before entering Payakumbuh. Many of the passengers were trapped inside the bus,” West Sumatra Police spokesman, Adj. Sr. Comr. Mainar Sugiarto, said on Tuesday. Five of the victims, all residents of Agam regency, have been identified as Dariman, 75; Nurhayati, 45; Riski, 7; Rosida, 60; and Yasnimas, 41. Identification of the victims, comprising five women, three men, four children and a toddler, has been hindered due to the conditions of the bodies. Twelve passengers who suffered burns and bone fractures are currently being treated at Adnan Hospital in Payakumbuh, while a further 10 passengers were treated and then released. About 48 people were on the bus when it departed from Dumai, Riau, on Sunday night bound for Solok in West Sumatra. Most of the passengers were asleep when the bus caught fire after the driver stopped the vehicle to pour water on its smoking engine. Police officers and emergency workers evacuated injured passengers from the bus and rushed them to the Payakumbuh hospital, an official from the Limapuluh Kota regency Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Edi, said as reported by Antara news agency. Authorities deployed personnel from the Payakumbuh fire department and the BPBD to recover the remains of those who perished in the fire. The driver, YND, 31, and his co-driver, HSD, 26, reportedly managed to flee the bus. They were arrested and are currently being questioned by police, Limapuluh Kota Police chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Partomo Irianto, said. Meanwhile, a representative of state-owned insurance company PT Jasa Raharja confirmed that his company would pay compensation to all the victims on the ill-fated bus. “All of the bus’ passengers will receive compensation from Jasa Raharja, in line with a 1964 law,” spokesman of the company’s West Sumatra branch office, Kamil, said in Padang as quoted by kompas.com. Kamil explained that the families of each of the dead would be given Rp 25 million in compensation and those of the injured victims, a maximum of Rp 10 million each. If a person’s medical costs exceed Rp 10 million, the surplus will have to be borne by their family. “Victims who don’t have any relatives will be entitled to funeral costs of up to Rp 2 million,” Kamil said. He added that Jasa Raharja did not yet have detailed information about the number of dead and injured victims. Officials from the insurance company were currently compiling data about the wounded passengers and the families of the dead, all of whom would receive the compensation, he said. Kamil also said that Jasa Rahar-ja expressed its condolences over the incident. “Jasa Raharja will do its utmost to serve its clients,” he said, adding that in such a situation, Jasa Raharja would directly support the medical treatment at the hospital and the transfer of the bodies of those killed to their relatives for funeral. Wed, 05/02/2012 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/02/short-circuit-likely-behind-deadly-bus-fire-west-sumatra.html