Kota-Serpong train catches fire, pregnant woman hurt escaping blaze

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two cars of an economy-class electric commuter train traveling from Jakarta Kota railway station in West Jakarta to Serpong, Tangerang, caught fire near Permata Hijau railway station in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, late Tuesday.

Terrified passengers jumped out of the cars while a pregnant woman broke her leg while trying to escape the blaze.

Director of Trains at the Ministry of Communications, Harris Fabillah, who was monitoring the situation, gave assurances that the trains would be running as normal on Wednesday morning.

He also said that all the injured passengers could seek reimbursement from the PT Jasa Raharja insurance company for their medical expenses.

"Whether they had tickets or not, the company will pay their medical expenses," he said.

The incident caused severe traffic congestion for homeward bound motorists with cars backed up by much as one kilometer along Jl. Tentara Pelajar, South Jakarta.

Eyewitnesses said that the two cars, manufactured in 1994, caught fire at approximately 7:30 p.m. The blaze is thought to have been the result of a technical problem with the overhead electricity cables.

"I saw a cable sparking, and it touched one car. In no time at all the car was ablaze," said Handoko, a nearby resident who witnessed the incident.

He said that fire spread slowly enough for the passengers to escape.

"A pregnant woman was too scared to jump from the car, but her husband pushed her out with his foot. She broke her leg," he said.

Not long after the accident, 10 fire trucks arrived at the scene and had the fire extinguished by around 8 p.m.

Dozens of ambulances also arrived, but all the passengers, including the pregnant woman, had already left the scene.

The smoldering cars were shunted to Kebayoran Lama train station, about one kilometer away from the scene.

Harris said that one car was a write-off, while another one could still be repaired.

At 9:30 p.m., a diesel commuter train was allowed to progress past the scene.

"We have to halt all electric train traffic for tonight as we have to repair the electricity cables," said Mulyono, a mechanic with state-owned railway company PT KAI. "The repairs will take about three to four hours, but in the morning traffic will be back to normal again."