BANDUNG: On Friday, officials reported a collision between two trains on Java’s main island, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and at least 28 others sustaining injuries. The incident occurred around 6:03 am local time (1103 GMT) near rice fields in Cicalengka, West Java province, causing multiple train carriages to overturn.
“We have identified one of the victims as the steward for the Turangga train. The rest have not been identified,” said Ayen Hanepi, a spokesman for railway operator PT KAI.
He reported that a collision occurred between the Turangga train, which operates within East Java from Surabaya to Bandung, and a local train. The Turangga train was carrying 287 passengers, while the local commuter line had 191 people on board, stated Ibrahim Tompo, the provincial police spokesman. All passengers have been safely evacuated, and the injured have been transported to a nearby hospital.
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In Indonesia, transport accidents are regrettably frequent due to the aging and poor maintenance of buses, trains, and even planes in this expansive archipelago nation.
In Jakarta, a collision between a commuter train and a minibus claimed the lives of 16 individuals in 2015.
Also in Jakarta, a commuter train crashed into a fuel tanker at a level crossing in 2013, resulting in the deaths of seven people and numerous injuries due to the ensuing flames.
