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)