Tragic Road Crash in Central Java's Pemalang Claims Three tvOne Journalists
- Antara
Pemalang, VIVA – A tragic collision claimed the lives of three tvOne television crew members when a truck rammed into their vehicle parked along the side of Central Java's Batang-Pemalang toll road in Central Java on Thursday (Oct 31).
The three television crews were identified as journalists Alwan Syahmidi and Marwan, and the driver, Sunardi.
Meanwhile, two other passengers who survived the accident were journalists Felicia Amelinda and Geigy Yudhistira.
The television team belongs to the tvOne investigative program "Fakta" (Facts). They were en route to Gresik in East Java for their news assignment.
Kondisi mobil kru tvOne yang terlibat kecalakaan di Tol Pemalang
- Antara
Recalling moments of the accident, Amelinda said they stopped on the roadside as "the car's windshield was dirty, and the driver needed to clean it up manually"
"Suddenly, we were rammed from behind," she stated.
The coffins of Syahmidi and Marwan were promptly transferred from Central Java to Jakarta. They arrived at the tvOne headquarters in East Jakarta on Thursday at 10:33 p.m. local time, as broadcast live by the channel.
The coffin of Sunardi was transported directly to his hometown in East Java, as per family request.
Director General of Information and Public Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Digital Prabu Revolusi, President Director of Visi Media Asia -- tvOne owner -- Anindya Novyan Bakrie, and tvOne's vice president Karni Ilyas attended the vigil.
tvOne's Editor-in-Chief, Lalu Mara Satriawangsa, and other media colleagues also paid their last respects to the two journalists. Participants recited the Quran and performed the funeral prayer for Syahmidi and Marwan.
Meanwhile, the head of the accident unit of Central Java's Pemalang Police, Second Inspector Widodo Apriyanto, stated that they are still questioning the truck driver, identified as Jatmiki, aged 36.
"We're still probing and clarifying (the conditions) with the toll road operator, and we need to wait before determining the truck driver as a suspect in the accident," he remarked.
