Bus collides with train, four dead

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Merak Jaya economy class train collided on Tuesday with a Prima Jasa public bus at a railway crossing near the port of Merak in Cilegon regency, leaving four bus passengers dead and 10 others injured, Antara reported.

No fatalities were reported among the train passengers.

The accident took place at 5.30 a.m, after the bus had overtaken a public minibus, which stopped to wait for the passing train.

The intersection was not equipped with barriers.

Both the bus and train were heading to Jakarta from Merak.

The early morning collision caused traffic congestion in the area, as both bus and train blocked vehicles from passing through the intersection.

Traffic was cleared after a crane was deployed at the accident site to remove the bus.

The four fatalities were identified as Bambang, 51, Sutisna, 18, Safrudin, 25 and Manggudlapa, 28.

Meanwhile, 10 passengers severely injured in the accident were Kholani, 31, Mahdum, 36, Syamsuri, 32, Effendi, 36, Kaspar, 42, Jufriandi, 25, Ade Nurhayati, 25, Yeti, 30, Ahmad, 35 and Fajar Maturo, 30.

The wounded are now being treated at the Krakatau Steel hospital nearby.

The collision added to the list of train accidents in Indonesia, which increased after the financial crisis hit the country in 1997.

The most deadly accident occurred in December last year, as a head-on train collision in the Central Java town of Brebes claimed 54 lives.

Poor human resources have been cited as a cause of many of the incidents involving trains in the country. Having identified that human error was the prominent cause of the notorious accidents, the government has raised the salary of state railway company employees, particularly train drivers.