Dozens hurt in Bogor train collision

Theresia Sufa and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of people were injured on Saturday when a passenger train slammed into the rear of another train about one kilometer from the Bogor railway station.

The crash occurred at 12:40 p.m. when a commuter train traveling from Jakarta to Bogor smashed into another train that had stopped on the tracks in Kebon Pedes subdistrict, Tanah Sereal district, Bogor municipality.

The impact of the crash caused the rear car of the second train to be lifted five meters into the air.

Victims were evacuated to three hospitals in Bogor: the Red Cross general hospital, Karya Bhakti Hospital and the Salak Military Hospital.

A staff member at Karya Bakti said most of the victims had suffered minor head injuries and bone fractures. No deaths were reported.

Ismail, 27, who was on the train that was hit, described a chaotic scene as people were thrown out of cars and collided with other passengers.

He was among 17 victims who were treated in the emergency room at the Red Cross hospital. Antara reported that 16 victims were treated at Karya Bhakti and 10 others at the Salak Military Hospital.

The spokesman for Karya Bhakti, Djajang Priatna, said three people were receiving treatment for internal injuries.

Bogor Police chief Sr. Comr. Anton Bahrul Alam said the crash was the result of human error. He said police had questioned a number of witnesses, including train drivers and signal attendants.

The deputy chief of the Bogor Police, Comr. Budi Prasetyo, said 10 employees of state-owned train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia were among those questioned.

Budi said officers also were looking into an unconfirmed report that the train that was smashed into had stopped on the tracks in Kebon Pedes subdistrict after someone pulled the emergency brake.

"We are still collecting information from all related parties in connection with the train collision," Budi said.