CISARUA: Sixteen people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when a bus plunged into a river as it returned from a church outing on Indonesia's main island of Java, AFP reported.

The bus was carrying 60 passengers from a Jakarta church back to the capital after a visit to a hill resort, when the accident happened in Cisarua, West Java province, Martinus Sitompul, a police spokesman told AFP.

The bus collided with a pick-up truck and then crashed into a food stall, before falling into the river eight metres deep.

“Sixteen people died, 32 people were seriously injured, and 10 others were lightly injured,” Sitompul said.

“We suspect the brakes malfunctioned but that's still being investigated.”

Fatal accidents are a common occurrence on Indonesia's poorly maintained roads, especially in the densely populated Java Island.