4 hours ago
Tom McArthurand
BBC Indonesian,Jakarta
Watch: Rescue workers attend to fatal train collision in Indonesia
Rescuers are racing to try and free people trapped inside a train involved in a fatal collision outside the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Monday.
At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured in the accident which took place when a stationary passenger train was hit from behind by a long-distance commuter train running on the same track.
Local media ran footage of passengers on medical trolleys near Bekasi Timur Station, with other images showing rescuers trying to free people from the train wreckage.
There are still victims who are alive “but they’re pinned by train material”, Mohammad Syafii, who leads Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, told reporters early on Tuesday.
“There are some victims who are alive to this minute and we’re hoping to extricate them,” he said. “We need to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication.”
Bobby Rasyidin, the president director of state-owned railway operator KAI, said on Tuesday that 84 people are being treated for their injuries in nearby hospitals.
The accident involved one taxi and three commuter trains. It started at about 20:00 on Monday, when one of the commuter trains hit the taxi, which was lying across the middle of the rail crossing.
A second train was forced to stop at the station because of this collision. Nearly an hour later, the third train, a long-distance commuter train, then crashed into a women-only carriage on the second train, while pulling into the station.
Some people screamed “hysterically” as the trains collided, one passenger told the BBC’s Indonesia service. Other eyewitnesses said they saw “many victims” injured in the crash.
Kompas.com/Nurpini
The total number of injuries is still to be confirmed, according to officials
Jakarta Police Chief Insp Gen Asep Edi Suheri said six or seven people remained trapped inside the carriages.
Medical expenses for the injured and funeral expenses for the deceased will be fully covered by KAI and insurance, authorities say, adding that the Bekasi Timur Station will be closed to commuters for the rest of Tuesday.
Indonesia’s public transport network in general has a high accident rate, due in part to ageing infrastructure and poor maintenance.
In January 2024, several people were killed and dozens more injured when two trains collided in a rice field in Cicalengka.
