Jakarta [Indonesia], April 29: At least 14 people were killed and 84 were injured when a long-distance passenger train collided with a stopped train near the Indonesian capital Jakarta, authorities said on Tuesday.
The accident occurred late Monday in Bekasi, a densely populated city east of Jakarta that forms part of the greater metropolitan region, where millions depend on rail transport each day.
State railway operator KAI said the crash followed an earlier incident in which a commuter train struck a taxi at a level crossing, forcing another train to brake and stop.
Minutes later, the Argo Bromo Anggrek - an intercity passenger train travelling from Jakarta to Surabaya on one of Java's busiest rail corridors - crashed into the rear of the stopped train, ripping through its back carriage.
"Based on the latest data as of 08:45 WIB [Western Indonesian Time] (01:45 GMT), 14 people have been confirmed dead," KAI rail company said in a statement on Tuesday.
National Search and Rescue Agency chief Mohammad Syafii said rescue crews were carrying out a difficult operation to free passengers still trapped in the wreckage.
"The locomotive and one carriage effectively merged, making rescue operations highly difficult," Syafii told a news conference.
He said some victims were still conscious and communicating with emergency workers as teams used heavy machinery and cutting equipment to reach them. KAI president director Bobby Rasyidin said 14 people had been confirmed dead as of Tuesday morning, while 84 others were injured.
He said the bodies had been taken to the National Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, for identification, while the injured were being treated at several hospitals.
A survivor described scenes of chaos after the collision. "It sounded like a bomb," he told local television, saying passengers rushed to escape as thick smoke filled the train and emergency sirens sounded.
Kompas.com identified the trains involved as the Jakarta to Cikarang commuter train and the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train, which is described as Indonesia's premier high-speed train service between Jakarta and Surabaya.
Train accidents are not uncommon on Indonesia's rail network.
In 2010, a train from Jakarta ploughed into the rear of another train that was sitting at a station in Central Java province, killing 36.
Source: Qatar Tribune