Train crash claims 10 lives in W. Java<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two trains collided head-on in Cirebon, West
\nJava in the early hours of Friday morning, killing 10 people.<\/p>\n
Preliminary findings indicate that the accident occurred when
\nthe driver of one of the trains fell asleep.<\/p>\n
\"There is no excuse. The driver had already had one day's
\nrest. But apparently he didn't use his time properly,\" said Rony
\nWahyudi, head of the Cirebon office of Perumka, the state railway
\nfirm.<\/p>\n
The Tegal Arum train, traveling from Jakarta to the Central
\nJava town of Tegal, was moving at full speed on the wrong track
\nwhen it rammed into the Senja Ekonomi, which was making a stop at
\nArjawinangun station en route from Surakarta to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Eight people were killed instantly and two others died at the
\nlocal hospital, according to the Antara news agency.<\/p>\n
Among the victims were a married couple, Darsan and Tanya, and
\ntheir 14-year-old daughter Tanti, who were all seated in the
\nfirst car of the Tegal Arum. Their six-year-old son Timbul Jaya
\nis still recovering from his injuries and has not yet been
\ninformed that he is now an orphan.<\/p>\n
All the dead victims had been traveling in the first car of
\nthe Tegal Arum.<\/p>\n
The accident also left at least 50 passengers from both trains
\ninjured, many with broken arms and legs. All are being treated at
\nhospitals in Cirebon.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto confirmed that
\nthe accident was caused by negligence on the part of the train
\noperator and pointed out that the signals were in working order
\nat the time and that the train's brakes had been working
\nproperly.<\/p>\n
The Tegal Arum's driver ignored a signal requiring it to stop.
\n\"He might have fallen asleep at that time,\" Haryanto said,
\nrecalling that the accident occurred at 2:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
The minister said, however, that his office will conduct a
\nthorough investigation to locate the cause of the accident.<\/p>\n
A Tegal Arum passenger recalled that the train was moving
\nfaster than normal immediately after leaving Jakarta. \"It only
\nstopped when it crashed.\"<\/p>\n
Both trains suffered extensive damage, but the accident did
\nnot cause any major congestion along the busy railway line
\nbetween Jakarta and Central Java because it occurred on a minor
\nalternate route.<\/p>\n
Friday's accident was the first major rail crash in Indonesia
\nthis year.<\/p>\n
Last year, 20 people died when two trains collided in Depok,
\nnear Jakarta. The worst train crash in the country's history was
\nin 1987 in Bintaro, South Jakarta, when 129 people were killed.
\n(05\/yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/train-crash-claims-10-lives-in-w-java-1447893297",
"image": ""
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