At least 16 people were killed in Indonesia’s South Sumatra province after a long-distance bus collided with a fuel tanker truck and burst into flames on a highway, police said on Thursday.
The crash occurred on Wednesday on the Trans-Sumatra highway, according to provincial police spokesman Nandang Mu’min Wijaya.
The bus driver allegedly swerved into the opposite lane after being startled by a pothole and collided head-on with an oncoming fuel tanker, Nandang told Metro TV.
The impact triggered a large explosion and fire that engulfed both vehicles, he said.
Fatal traffic accidents are common in Indonesia, where poor road conditions, weak enforcement of safety regulations and overloaded vehicles are longstanding concerns.