Technical problems led to most of the train accidents this year<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The country has witnessed 106 train accidents in
\nthe first 10 months of this year, a senior official at the
\nMinistry of Transportation and Telecommunications said on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Kalalo Nugroho, head of the ministry's public relation and
\noverseas cooperation, said most of the accidents were due to
\ntechnical problems. The accidents included 11 collisions between
\ntwo speeding trains, 20 accidents with other vehicles and more
\nthan 20 cases of derailment.<\/p>\n
Four accidents were caused by natural disasters, such as flood
\nand landslide, while 19 others by \"other factors\", he was quoted
\nas saying by Antara.<\/p>\n
Kalalo did not explain the causes of the remaining accidents.<\/p>\n
According to him, 37 percent of the 106 accidents were caused
\nby technical problems, 27 by human error, 32 percent by \"external
\nparties\" and 4 percent by natural disasters.<\/p>\n
Last year, train accidents across the country totaled 196, the
\nbiggest record in a single year in the past few years. The number
\nreached 109 cases in 1998.<\/p>\n
In an effort to reduce the number of accidents, Minister of
\nTransportation and Telecommunications Agum Gumelar has instructed
\nthe firm's top management to pay serious attention to the welfare
\nof railway employees.<\/p>\n
State PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) plans to introduce a
\nspecial \"day of alert\" among its staff and all train drivers will
\nundergo health checks prior to the start of their shifts.<\/p>\n
In January this year, at least 12 people, mostly teenagers,
\ndied instantly and at least 10 others were injured when the
\ndiesel powered Bogor-Sukabumi train they were riding on top of
\npassed under a bridge in the Paledang subdistrict of Central
\nBogor.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said a group of teenagers were sitting on the train
\nroof unaware of the approaching bridge.<\/p>\n
In early May, a speeding train on the Jakarta-Merak line
\ncollided head-on with another train on a single-line track at the
\nBumi Serpong Damai (BSD) housing complex, killing four passengers
\nand injuring 37 others.<\/p>\n
One of the fatalities, identified as becak (pedicab) driver
\nSumarno, 35, was decapitated when he was caught between the
\ncolliding trains. (bsr)<\/p>",
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