Indonesia Bus and tanker collide in Sumatra - 16 dead

At least 16 people have been killed in a collision between a passenger bus and a tanker truck in Indonesia.

Keystone-SDA

07.05.2026, 10:25

07.05.2026, 11:32

SDA

The accident on a highway in the province of South Sumatra triggered a huge explosion on Wednesday afternoon (local time) and caused both vehicles to burst into flames, according to police.

The bus driver had probably swerved into a pothole in the oncoming lane and collided with the oncoming tanker, a police spokesman explained on local television.

Fatal road accidents are common in Indonesia. The roads in the Southeast Asian multi-island state are often in poor condition, with a lack of control of safety standards and overcrowded or overloaded vehicles also contributing to this.