10 killed in train accidents per month

JAKARTA (JP): At least 10 people are killed in train accidents in the capital every month, an official said over the weekend.

The victims are mostly pedestrians and motorists hit crossing the tracks and passengers who fall from speeding trains, the head of state railroad company Perumka for Operation Zone I (Jakarta), Eddy Sasongko, said.

"There's at least one person killed every three days on railroads here. They are crushed by the passing trains, fall from the trains or commit suicide," Eddy said after witnessing the closure of several illegal railroad crossings in Klender, East Jakarta.

He also complained about the lack of awareness of many Jakartans residing near railroad tracks about their own safety.

They often open new crossings at their own initiative every 50 meters just to make a short cut, he said.

"They're lazy to walk just a short distance. As a result, their illegal self-made crossings have taken a great number of lives," Eddy said.

Operation Zone I is home to 152 illegal railway crossings, 154 official ones with attendants and 353 official crossings without attendants, Antara reported.

The latest crossing accident in the city was on July 20 when eight people died when a speeding train hit a public minivan in the Bintaro Permai area of South Jakarta. (bsr)