Indonesia drag car race crash kills eight, say police (VIDEO)

Jakarta, Aug 10 - A drag car lost control and collided with spectators at a weekend race in Indonesia, resulting in eight deaths and nine injuries, according to police reports. The catastrophic crash occurred late on Saturday during an organized drag car race in Kotamobagu, a city on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island. North Sulawesi police chief Roycke Harry Langie informed reporters that eight individuals had succumbed to their injuries, eight remained in critical condition, and one person sustained minor injuries.

Police have interviewed several witnesses, including the driver, as part of their investigation. One witness, Areng Mokoginta, recounted that the accident transpired when a race car skidded shortly after the race commenced, veering out of control and crashing into onlookers at the event in Kotamobagu, situated approximately 180 kilometers southwest of the North Sulawesi capital, Manado.

Fatal traffic accidents are unfortunately all too frequent in Indonesia, a country of 280 million people, where road regulations are often disregarded and vehicles are frequently poorly maintained.