JAKARTA, APRIL 28: The death toll following a severe rail collision near Jakarta has risen to 14, with more than 80 others injured as rescue teams struggle to reach passengers still pinned within the metal wreckage. The accident, which occurred late Monday night at the Bekasi city rail station, involved a local commuter line and a premier long-distance train service.
Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), stated that the recovery mission remains ongoing and is hindered by the precarious state of the carriages. He noted that emergency teams must proceed with caution to avoid further collapses. “Rescuers need to work slowly to cut away wreckage and free those trapped inside the mangled carriages,” Syafii affirmed, according to local reports.
The state-owned KAI rail company confirmed the updated casualty figures on Tuesday morning. Initial reports had placed the death toll at five, but officials noted that the number jumped as rescuers accessed more damaged compartments. KAI spokesperson Franoto Wibowo said the sequence of events began when a taxi reportedly clipped the commuter train at a level crossing. This minor collision caused the commuter train to stall on the tracks, where it was subsequently struck by the Argo Bromo Anggrek, a high-speed service traveling between Jakarta and Surabaya.
Emergency workers at the scene are utilizing angle grinders to penetrate the metal framework of the compartments. KAI official Anne Purba stated that 84 individuals have been transported to local hospitals for treatment. This incident adds to a history of rail tragedies in the region, including a 2010 collision in Central Java that claimed 36 lives.
