/ 1 January 2002

Bus plunges into ravine in Indonesia, 16 kids dead

A bus carrying kindergarten children on a picnic plunged into a ravine in Indonesia’s East Java province on Tuesday and the state Antara news agency said at least 16 of them were killed.

Local police confirmed the crash but could not say how many had died.

”The bus fell into a ravine near Arjasa and we are still working to retrieve the passengers,” said an officer at the police station at Jember.

The bus was carrying the children to the north coast beach of Pasir Putih during the current school holidays.

Antara gave no source for its death toll. Another policeman at Arjasa said he could not yet give any

casualty figure because information from hospitals and the scene had yet to be checked. – Sapa