JAKARTA, Indonesia — A deadly railway collision occurred Monday when a long-distance passenger train crashed into a stationary commuter train at a station near Indonesia’s capital, resulting in at least three fatalities.
“There are 29 victims who have been evacuated to three nearby hospitals,” Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri told reporters at the scene in the suburb of Bekasi.
According to officials, the investigation into the crash has begun. The Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance service rear-ended a commuter train that had stopped at Bekasi Timur Station, causing significant destruction to the impacted car.
The damaged railway car had been reserved exclusively for female passengers, a safety measure commonly used to prevent harassment on public transportation.
Social media videos and local news broadcasts captured chaotic scenes as passengers fled the station platform. Emergency workers and local residents worked together to help evacuate people from the damaged train cars, while crowds of worried family members gathered at the station seeking information about loved ones.
Anne Purba, vice president for corporate communications at PT Kereta Api Indonesia, the government-owned railway operator, released a public apology to passengers.
“At this time, all efforts are focused on evacuating passengers and crew, as well as assisting victims at the scene, with safety as the top priority,” Purba said in a statement.
According to Purba, the incident has caused significant disruptions to commuter railway operations throughout the region.
This latest incident underscores persistent safety challenges facing Indonesia’s deteriorating rail infrastructure. Just last January, another train collision in West Java province claimed four lives.
Previous major accidents include a 2013 crash in West Java where a passenger train struck a minibus at an unprotected crossing, killing 13 people. In 2010, a Jakarta train collided with the back of another train stopped at a Central Java station, resulting in 36 deaths.
