Thirteen people died and five were injured when a pickup truck carrying wedding guests was crushed between two trucks on a highway in Indonesia's West Java province on Sunday. The accident occurred on the northern coastal highway near the village of Kiajaran Kulon in Indramayu regency.
The group was returning from a wedding in the neighboring village of Parean when the incident took place. Police chief Undang Syarif Hidayat stated that the pickup truck had slowed and stopped near a median opening to execute a U-turn. It was then struck from behind by a wing-box truck traveling in the same direction.
The impact from the rear truck propelled the pickup into the opposite lane, where it was hit a second time by another truck. The force of the collisions ejected numerous passengers from the open-bed pickup truck onto the roadway.
Survivors were transported to local hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Deadly traffic accidents are a persistent issue in Indonesia. Factors contributing to frequent fatal crashes include overloaded vehicles, insufficient road safety infrastructure, and poor adherence to traffic regulations.