25 die in bus-train crash

JAKARTA (JP): At least 25 people died and many others were seriously injured when a fully loaded inter-island bus collided with a speeding train yesterday in Kota Bumi, Lampung Utara regency in Lampung.

Antara quoted an unnamed official in the Kota Bumi chapter of the Jasa Raharja state-owned insurance company as saying that the crash involved a Fajar train heading from Bandar Lampung to the South Sumatra capital Palembang and a Sri Ayu bus.

The fatal accident took place at noon yesterday in the Rejo Sari village of the Kota Bumi subdistrict at a level crossing not equipped with safety gates.

The accident was the second fatal collision at the crossing. Two years ago 35 people were killed in a similar crash.

The bus was enroute from Tanjung Karang to PT Bunga Mayang, Lampung Utara, and full of passengers when the crash occurred.

No information was available on how many were aboard either the bus or the train.

All casualties were taken to Riyakusu hospital in Kotabumi.

A hospital attendant told Antara that the many of the bodies had to be left in the hospital's meeting room because its morgue was too small.

"We haven't received any reports on the names of the victims yet, because most are difficult to identify," a hospital clerk was quoted as saying. (aan)