19 killed in head-on road collision in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Police say 19 people have been killed in a head-on collision between a minivan and a bus in central Indonesia.

Lt. Col. Prasetijo Utomo says Monday’s accident in the village of Balongmojo in East Java province occurred when the minivan tried to pass another car on a blind corner.

It smashed right into an oncoming bus.

Utomo says the drivers of both vehicles were among the 19 dead. Five others were seriously injured.

Poor safety standards are main causes of many fatal transportation accidents in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.