Rescue officials on Tuesday confirmed that 14 people lost their lives after emergency teams completed the recovery of victims from a severely damaged commuter train carriage following a collision near Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital.
The accident occurred on Monday at Bekasi Timur Station, located on the outskirts of the capital, when a long-distance train crashed into the rear carriage of a stationary commuter train. The impacted carriage had been reserved exclusively for female passengers, a safety measure commonly used to reduce harassment.
According to Bobby Rasyidin, Chief Executive Officer of the state-owned rail operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia, 84 injured passengers were transported to various hospitals for medical care.
He added that the deceased have been moved to a hospital for identification procedures.
Emergency responders concluded the evacuation of victims from the wreckage by midmorning.
“There are no further casualties,” said Mohammad Syafii, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Authorities confirmed that all 240 passengers aboard the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance service were unharmed in the incident.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, with Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri stating that inquiries are underway at the scene.
Rasyidin indicated that a separate incident involving a commuter train striking a stalled taxi near a level crossing may have contributed to disruptions in the rail system.
“As for the chronology of events, we are leaving it to the National Transportation Safety Committee to investigate the cause of tonight’s train accident in greater detail,” Rasyidin said.
Rail accidents remain a recurring issue across Indonesia’s aging railway infrastructure. In January 2024, a collision between two trains in West Java resulted in at least four fatalities.
