19 injured in train incident

JAKARTA (JP): At least 19 train passengers in an electric train heading for Bogor were injured on Monday when a trolley on the train, commonly called the pantograph, got caught in wires, breaking some of them and hitting the passengers.

Spokesman for state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) Zainal Abidin said the train (photo above) came to a complete halt on railway tracks that cross Jl. TB Simatupang in South Jakarta that afternoon.

"The pantograph got stuck in some wires, and when they broke they hurt passengers occupying the last compartment of the electric train No. 502," Zainal said.

As a result, four other trains on the Duren Kalibata-Tanjung Barat railway line were unable to move, since the electricity was turned off, Zainal said.

The injured were admitted to Pasar Minggu Hospital and the Fatmawati Hospital in South Jakarta, as well as the Pasar Rebo Hospital in East Jakarta.

One victim at the Fatmawati Hospital remained unconscious due to a serious wound in the head, Zainal said.

Due to the train incident Jl. TB Simatupang experienced heavy traffic congestion as many train passengers got out and crowded the road trying to find other transportation.

Another train accident occurred on Sunday last week when a commuter electric train was hit by a diesel train from behind in the Bandan-Angke area of North Jakarta, injuring three child passengers. (ylt)