Train derailment kills six in Indonesia: official

A packed passenger train derailed in Indonesia today, killing at least six people, an official said.

A packed passenger train derailed in Indonesia on Tuesday, killing at least six people, an official said.

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The train was heading from Purwokerto to Jember in East Java province when it went off the tracks, transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said.

"Six people were killed in the accident," he said.

"The sixth to eighth carriages have derailed while the ninth to 11th carriages have flipped over."

"We cannot predict whether the toll will rise but the train was quite crowded," he added.

Haryono Wirotomo, an official from state-run rail company Kereta Api Indonesia, said about 200 passengers were on board the train. Seventeen were injured in the accident, one critically, he said.

The accident happened around Madiun, around 180 kilometres (112 miles) east of Yogyakarta. The cause of the accident was not known.