A devastating collision between a commuter train and a long-distance train near the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left at least 14 people dead and 84 others injured, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The crash occurred late Monday in Bekasi, a satellite city on the outskirts of Jakarta, triggering a complex rescue operation that continued into the following day.
Rescue Efforts Underway Amid Wreckage
Bobby Rasyidi, chief executive of Indonesia’s state railway firm PT KAI, reported that the death toll had risen to 14 and that evacuation efforts were still ongoing. Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, described the delicate process of extracting survivors from the mangled carriages during a press conference early Tuesday.
“We needed to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication,” Syafii stated. “There are some victims who are alive to this minute and we’re hoping to extricate them, but they’re still pinned by the train material.”
A Reuters witness at the scene confirmed that rescuers had disengaged the trains and were using angle grinders to cut through the metal compartments to reach survivors.
Sequence of Events and Contributing Factors
According to Bobby, the commuter train first collided with a taxi that was on the tracks before being struck by the long-distance train. The impact was most severe in a women-only carriage, which bore the brunt of the crash. The taxi operator, Green SM Indonesia, confirmed on Instagram that the vehicle involved was part of its fleet and stated it had provided information to authorities to assist with the investigation.
Presidential Response and Infrastructure Pledge
President Prabowo Subianto visited a hospital in Bekasi to see the victims. He announced plans to build a flyover near the train tracks to alleviate heavy traffic congestion and pledged a thorough investigation into the collision. The president also acknowledged that large portions of the train network are not well-maintained.
The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has launched an investigation into the crash.
Human Toll and Eyewitness Accounts
At the train station on Tuesday, rescuers and distraught family members gathered, with some searching for missing relatives. One man was seen crying while holding his brother’s bloodied bag. Passenger Heriyati recounted her narrow escape, saying she had initially planned to use the women-only carriage but opted for the one behind it. She on the phone with her husband, asking him to pick her up from the station, when the collision occurred.
“I haven’t even finished with the call and the trains collided,” she said.
Broader Context of Rail Accidents in Indonesia
Commuter line trains are among the busiest in Jakarta, the world’s most populous city. The crash disrupted several commuter train trips on Tuesday, with PT KAI announcing service cutbacks. Land transport accidents are a recurring issue in Indonesia. A similar train collision in West Java province in 2024 resulted in four deaths and dozens of injuries, highlighting ongoing safety concerns in the country’s rail network.
