A huge train crash in Indonesia has killed 14 and injured 84 as many were left trapped for hours. The collision between a commuter train and a long-distance train happened late on Monday in Bekasi, just outside Jakarta, the country’s capital.
Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, said earlier today that some victims are still alive but “they’re pinned by train material”. “There are some victims who are alive to this minute and we’re hoping to extricate them,” he said. “We need to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication.”
Some people screamed “hysterically” as the trains collided, one passenger told the BBC’s Indonesia service. Other eyewitnesses said witnessed “many victims” injured in the crash.
Jakarta Police Chief Inspector Gen Asep Edi Suheri said six or seven people remained trapped inside the carriages.
One survivor described the terrifying moments after a long-distance train crashed into the stationary commuter train she was riding, leaving passengers trapped inside twisted, damaged carriages.
“I thought I was going to die,” Sausan Sarifah, 29, said from her bed at the RSUD Bekasi hospital, where she was admitted with a broken arm and a deep cut to one thigh.
Bobby Rasyidin, the president director of state-owned railway operator KAI, said on Tuesday that 84 people are being treated for their injuries in nearby hospitals.
He said that the commuter train first collided with a taxi on the tracks and was then hit by the long-distance train, adding that a women-only carriage bore the worst of the crash.
All the victims were from the commuter train, and around 240 passengers on the other train had been evacuated safely, according to Purba.
Emergency services used angle grinders to cut through the metal framework of compartments to free trapped passengers. The issue prompted a massive rescue operation with the military, fire brigade, national service and Red Cross alll helping in the evacuation efffort.
Taxi operator Green SM Indonesia said on social media that the vehicle involved was one of its own and that it has provided information to authorities to support the investigation.
