Two trains collided outside the Indonesian capital Jakarta late on Monday, the state-owned KAI rail company said, while also confirming the death of two passengers.
"Hospital records show that two victims have died," KAI spokesman Franoto Wibowo told Kompas TV at the scene, adding that victims were still being evacuated from the wreckage with assistance from the military, fire brigade and the national search and rescue agency.
The collision occurred near the Bekasi Timur Station, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Jakarta, news agency AFP reported, citing several local media reports.
Franoto could not say how many people were injured.
"As for the victims, we have made every effort to evacuate them as quickly as possible to the nearest hospitals. We are still in the process of collecting data and evidence... The detailed chronology of the cause will be delivered later by the authorised authorities,” he said.
What happened?
According to a report by Antara, several passengers were injured in an accident involving a CommuterLine train and a long-distance diesel train (KRD) at the Bekasi Timur Station.
The report added that the Commuter Line train was stopped on track 1, heading east toward Cikarang. Moments later, a long-distance train travelling from the west entered the same track and collided with the Commuter Line head-on.
Commuter lines in Indonesia are electrified rapid-transit systems for city workers used for daily commuting within metropolitan areas. Long-distance trains are locomotive-hauled services connecting major cities across the island of Java.
{{/usCountry}}Commuter lines in Indonesia are electrified rapid-transit systems for city workers used for daily commuting within metropolitan areas. Long-distance trains are locomotive-hauled services connecting major cities across the island of Java.
{{/usCountry}}“The CommuterLine was destroyed at the rear. Officers evacuated us immediately," local media quoted a passenger at the scene as saying.
The last major train crash in the Southeast Asian country killed four crew members and injured about two dozen people elsewhere in West Java province in January 2024.
Transport accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation where buses, trains and even planes are often old and badly maintained.
Sixteen people were killed when a commuter train crashed into a minibus on a level crossing in Jakarta in 2015.