Rescue operations concluded the extraction of individuals from a damaged train carriage on Tuesday, confirming the fatality count of 15 women in the commuter train crash near Indonesia’s capital. The incident took place on Monday when a long-haul train collided with the rear car of a stationary commuter train at Bekasi Timur Station, located outside Jakarta. The specific car involved was designated for female passengers only, a measure commonly implemented to prevent harassment.
According to Bobby Rasyidin, the CEO of state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia, a total of 88 injured individuals were transported to medical facilities for treatment, while the deceased were transferred to a hospital for identification purposes. Rasyidin emphasized the importance of providing optimal care to all the victims.
The rescue teams successfully evacuated all individuals from the wreckage by mid-morning, with no further casualties reported, as confirmed by Mohammad Syafii, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency. Fortunately, all 240 passengers aboard the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train were unharmed.
Police authorities, led by Jakarta police chief Asep Edi Suheri, initiated an investigation into the accident’s cause at the scene. The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation issued a statement suggesting that the chain of events commenced with a commuter train colliding with a stationary taxi near Bekasi Timur Station, prompting the halt of a second commuter train at the station, which was subsequently struck by the long-distance train.
Rasyidin deferred to the National Transportation Safety Committee for a comprehensive inquiry into the train accident’s root cause. Notably, Indonesia’s aged railway infrastructure often witnesses accidents, with a previous incident in January 2024 involving a collision between two trains in West Java province that resulted in at least four fatalities.