JAKARTA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed after an intercity bus collided head-on with a tanker truck on a major highway on Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, local officials said.
The crash occurred at around 12:39 p.m. local time on the Trans-Sumatra Highway in Karang Jaya district, South Sumatra province. It involved a long-distance bus and a tanker truck traveling in the opposite direction, local media outlet Jakarta Globe reported.
Officials from the local disaster mitigation agency, BPBD, said emergency teams were deployed immediately to evacuate victims, many of whom were trapped inside the wreckage.
"Our team is on site with the traffic police to carry out evacuation efforts. Preliminary reports confirm 16 fatalities," Mugono, an official with the local BPBD, was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying.
Emergency responders, including BPBD personnel and traffic police, continued working into the afternoon to clear the site, identify victims and secure the area. Authorities said assisting survivors and ensuring safe evacuation remained the priority.
Further updates, including the identities of the victims and the cause of the crash, are expected as authorities continue their investigation. ■
