Accident disrupts railway system

Accident disrupts railway system

PURWOKERTO, Central Java: A train carrying 3,220 bags of
cement went off the rails near here early yesterday, throwing
railway traffic into chaos for over 13 hours.

Railway Officials said the accident happened at 1:05 a.m.,
amid heavy rain at Sumpyuh railway station when seven of the 40
train cars from Bandung heading for Yogyakarta derailed.

No injuries were reported but most of the 161 tons of cement
were feared spoiled because of exposure to the rain.

The accident forced railway authorities to block the tracks
and train passengers from West Java and East Java to continue
their journey by bus.

Singgih Abadi, chief of the local branch of the state-owned
railway company, Perumka, said the authorities had to bring in
heavy equipment from Bandung to clear the tracks.

The situation returned to normal at 2 p.m. yesterday. (wah)