Bus Tourism Tragedy in Batu, East Java: Driver Arrested for Deadly, Consecutive Crashes
In a shocking turn of events, the East Java Police (Polda Jatim) has named a suspect in a series of deadly bus crashes involving a tourism bus in Batu City, East Java, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. The suspect, identified by the initials MAS, is the driver of the bus that was carrying a vocational high school (SMK) trip from SMK TI Bali Global Badung.
Dirlantas Polda Jatim, Kombes Komarudin, confirmed the arrest on Friday, January 10, 2024, stating, "We have named MAS as a suspect, the bus driver who was transporting the SMK TI Bali Global Badung trip."
The suspect, MAS, is being charged under Articles 311 paragraph 3, 4, and 5 of Law Number 22 of 2022 concerning Road Traffic and Land Transport. If found guilty, MAS could face up to 12 years in prison for deliberately operating a vehicle that endangered the safety of others, resulting in material damage, minor injuries, severe injuries, and death.
Investigations revealed that the driver had experienced a malfunction in the bus’s braking system prior to the crashes. Despite this, he continued the journey from the activity location back to Bali.
tứòA thorough inspection by the Disaster Mitigation Agency (Dishub) found that the left and right brake pads, as well as the brake drums, were damaged. This caused the braking system to malfunction, leading to the tragic crashes.
Komarudin explained that prior to the trip on January 4, 2025, preparations had been made, including a vehicle inspection by the driver. However, the driver only conducted an external inspection and was unaware of the internal damage to the brake pads.
Although one suspect has been named, authorities are continuing the investigation. Komarudin confirmed that they are looking into potential administrative irregularities such as expired vehicle registration (STNK) and vehicle circulation permit (KIR) documents. "We will continue to dig deeper to uncover any new facts," he said.
