Actress Vanessa Angel and Husband's Graves Damaged by Rain in Wake of Tragic Car Crash

By Allison Schonter

The graves of Indonesian actress Vanessa Angel and her husband, Febri "Bibi" Andriansyah, have been damaged by heavy rains just days after they were laid to rest. The couple was buried at the South Jakarta's Malacca Islamic Cemetery earlier in November after they tragically died in a car accident on a highway in East Java. Their 3-year-old son Gala miraculously survived the crash and was hospitalized with expectations of a full recovery.

After a local outlet reported the graves had been damaged by "irresponsible people including content creators," caretakers at the South Jakarta's Malacca Islamic Cemetery clarified to Malay Mail that the damage to the two graves was the result of weather and not people. One caretaker who went only by Heri told the outlet they were "annoyed by the information" claiming the graves were damaged. Heri added that the graves were "not damaged by someone," explaining, "we'll always monitor tombs and the visitors so that the graves won't be trampled on." A second caretaker at the cemetery confirmed the gravesites have since been fixed. That caretaker said, "it has fallen a little, but it's been tidied up. I've seen artists who've even come to replace her photos while other photos were contributed by fans who visited her grave." 

Angel, who launched her acting career in 2008 with a role on the Indonesian soap opera sinetron, and her husband were tragically killed in a Thursday, Nov. 4 car crash on a section of the Nganjuk-Surabaya highway in East Java. The two had been traveling with three others, including their son and his caretaker, when the vehicle hit a concrete wall, causing the driver, Tubagus Joddy, to lose control. Both Angel and her husband were pronounced dead at the scene, head of Public Relations of the East Java Police, Kombes Gatot Repli Handoko confirmed, also confirmed that the three others – Gala, Joddy, and caretaker Siska Lorensa – were taken to Kertosono Nganjuk Hospital.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing. Coconut Jakarta confirmed on Nov. 11 that Joddy had been charged with negligent driving under Indonesia's Traffic and Road Transport Law, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison, after he reportedly recorded a video shared to Instagram as he was driving. Authorities stated prior to pressing charges that weather conditions had been clear at the time of the fatal accident and traffic was light.

Following the charge against Joddy, Milano Lubis, Angel's former attorney and friend, said he did not agree with the negligence charge, as "with him filming that video, that's an element of intent." Milano added, "we will oversee [the legal proceedings] because we want the driver to be prosecuted with the highest charges. We will find anything that can be included in the indictment."

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