BEKASI — A commuter train and a long-distance train collided late Monday night at the Bekasi city rail station adjoining Jakarta, killing 14 people and sending 84 others to hospitals for treatment. Emergency workers remained at the scene to free passengers trapped in the wreckage.
The trains involved were the Jakarta to Cikarang commuter train and the Argo Bromo Anggrek, a train service between Jakarta and Surabaya. A taxi appears to have clipped the commuter train on a level crossing, causing it to stop on the tracks, where it was struck by the long-distance train.
Rescue efforts were complicated by limited space and severe damage to the train carriages. Emergency workers said they needed to work slowly to cut away wreckage and free those trapped inside the severely damaged carriages. Rescuers disengaged the trains and used angle grinders to cut through the metal framework of compartments to free passengers.
An initial toll reported by Anne Purba listed five people killed and 79 injured before the figures rose to 14 dead and 84 hospitalized. Mohammad Syafii, the head of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, was among the officials overseeing the response.
Indonesia has recorded several deadly rail incidents in recent years. In 2010, a train from Jakarta ploughed into the rear of another train that was sitting at a station in Central Java province, killing 36 people. In 2015, a passenger train hit a minibus at an unguarded crossing in West Java, killing 18 people. The two incidents occurred five years apart and together claimed more than 50 lives.