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Pickup Carrying Wedding Guests Crushed Between Trucks on Java, Killing 13

Investigators say a U-turn and the actions of two trucks are under probe as the crash exposes long-standing road-safety gaps in Indonesia.

Overview

  • A pickup carrying wedding guests slowed to make a U-turn on a busy northern coastal highway and was struck from behind by a wing-box truck, then pushed into the opposite lane and hit by a second truck.
  • Thirteen people were killed and five others were hospitalized with injuries after the vehicle was crushed between the two heavy trucks.
  • Police identified the victims as wedding guests returning from a nearby village and said many were riding in the pickup's open cargo bed when they were thrown onto the highway.
  • Local traffic authorities have opened an investigation into the drivers' actions and the circumstances of the U-turn, and no final cause or blame has yet been announced.
  • The crash highlights recurring safety problems in Indonesia, including use of open-bed passenger transport, risky maneuvers on highways, and gaps in enforcement and road infrastructure that can increase crash severity.