Indonesia: 14 people dead after tourist bus smashes into billboard

At least 14 people lost their lives and 19 were left injured after the tourist bus they were travelling in crashed into a billboard in Indonesia's main island of Java on Monday morning.

According to local police officers, the driver was likely drowsy when the accident happened as both the weather and traffic were clear.

The videos of the accident show police personnel, rescue teams and others trying to rescue people from the battered bus. The injured were immediately rushed to a local hospital in the town of Mojokerto and are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The bus was on its way back from a trip to Central Java's Dieng Plateau, a popular mountain resort, when the mishap occurred, East Java traffic police chief Latief Usman told the Associated Press.

The victims were from Benowo village near Surabaya and were returning home after a long weekend. The driver survived the crash and is being treated at a hospital for injuries, according to a report in Deccan Herald.

"This accident was caused by human error, the driver was exhausted or tired," Metro TV quoted a spokesman for the East Java police as saying. A probe has also been launched by the police to ascertain the cause of the tragic accident. According to authorities, the driver has not yet been questioned since he has also suffered severe injuries in the crash.

Deadly traffic accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia due to its poor infrastructure and safety standards. As many as 13 people had died in February this year after a bus they were travelling in tipped over and crashed on Java Island.

While 16 people were killed last month after a truck carrying miners crashed into a cliff in West Papua. According to a World Health Organisation report, deaths in road accidents in Indonesia accounted for 2.46 percent of total deaths in the country in 2018.