Two killed at Tana Toraja Funeral: South Sulawesi

It really isn't funny but the situation of buffaloes killing two people at a funeral in Sulawesi reminded me somewhat of the running of the bulls at Palermo in Spain when I first read about it.

Two people died and 10 others were injured when several buffaloes taking part in a traditional funeral ceremony in Tana Toraja,, South Sulawesi ran into the crowd of people attending the event. The two fatalities were among the spectators watching a buffalo fight held as part of the funeral ceremony. Four pairs of buffaloes were taking part in the ceremony when several of the animals broke away and ran toward the thousands of people in attendance.

The rampaging buffaloes sent panicked spectators scrambling for safety. When a crowd of people pushed a minivan that was blocking their exit out of the way the vehicle hit several people who had been sitting in front of the minivan including the two victims who later died at the hospital.

One of the spectators said the incident took place at about 4 p.m. He said the ceremony was orderly and nothing was out of the ordinary until the owners of two of the animals taking part in the buffalo fight became involved in a dispute.

The funeral ceremony was organized by Tana Toraja Regent Johanes Amping Situru to mark the passing of his mother, Ribka Amping Situru. People in the area have held buffalo fights at traditional funeral ceremonies for generations.

This was the largest funeral ceremony in the area this year with the number of spectators reaching into the thousands.