At least 16 people were killed after a passenger bus crashed into a fuel tanker on a highway in Indonesia’s Sumatra island, officials said.

The accident happened on Wednesday along the Trans-Sumatra highway in South Sumatra province. Officials said the intercity bus was travelling from Lubuklinggau in south Sumatra to Jambi on the east coast when it collided with the tanker coming from the opposite direction.

An official from the local disaster management agency, identified only by his first name Mugono, said the bus was carrying at least 20 passengers at the time of the crash.

“The forceful impact triggered a fire that engulfed both vehicles, leaving many victims trapped inside,” said Mr Mugono.

According to authorities, those killed included the bus driver, 13 passengers, and the tanker truck’s driver and an assistant.

Four passengers survived and were rushed to a nearby health clinic for treatment. Officials said three of them suffered serious burns, while another sustained minor injuries.

Emergency teams, firefighters and police officers worked for hours to control the blaze and remove victims from the wreckage.

Images released by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency showed thick black smoke rising from the burning vehicles as firefighters tried to douse the flames.

Both vehicles were left badly charred, with twisted metal and debris scattered across the highway. Rescue workers said several victims were trapped inside, making recovery efforts difficult and causing major traffic disruptions in the area.

Transport accidents are common in Indonesia, where ageing infrastructure and poorly maintained vehicles continue to raise safety concerns across the country’s road and rail networks.

The deadly crash comes just days after another major transport disaster near Jakarta on 27 April, where a commuter train collided with a long-distance one, killing 16 people and injuring dozens more. The crash intensified concerns about railway safety in Indonesia, especially at unguarded level crossings that lack barriers, according to Asia News Network.

Just days later, another train accident occurred in Central Java when a train hit a minivan carrying nine family members at an unguarded crossing. Five people, including two children, were killed and four others were injured.

At the time, the presidential chief of staff Dudung Abdurachman said: “This series of [train] accidents should serve as a warning to improve public transportation, particularly railways. Fleets, infrastructure and public services must be supported by adequate infrastructure such as safe level crossings.”