Locals hold prayer for Paledang train victims

BOGOR (JP): About 300 local Muslim residents from Paledang, Central Bogor, held a special prayer on Tuesday evening for the 12 passengers who died after they fell off the roof of a train last week.

"With this prayer we wish the spirits of the dead to reside peacefully in the hands of God," Rojak, a local Muslim cleric, said during the prayer.

A Tahlilan (special prayer for the dead) is held several days after the death of someone in the community. During the prayer, the assembly repeatedly recites the confession of faith: "there's no God but Allah".

The train accident, which injured 10 others, took place after a diesel-powered train, plying the Bogor-Sukabumi route, passed under a bridge, knocking off all the passengers sitting on the roof.

During a prayer held after Maghrib (dusk prayer), Rojak also asked the assembly not to circulate rumors that strange noises were being heard from the accident site.

"We ought to pray for the victims to rest in peace," he told them.

Dirgahayu Swana, who organized the prayer, said the event was part of the locals' way to express their sympathy to the victims and their families.

"This gathering was initiated by youths from the nearby areas of Sukalaya, Bojong Neros and Nurkas," Dirgahayu said.

Apart from holding the special prayer, locals also urged state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI) to check the height allowance between the train and the bridge.

According to measurements taken by locals, the height allowance was under the 60 centimeters PT KAI claimed to exist.

"They (the company) claim the height allowance is about 60 centimeters, while we found that it is only about 30 centimeters," Dirgahayu said.

"Parts of the bridge have subsided over the years due to vehicles crossing it every day," Dirga said, adding that the bridge was built during the Dutch colonial era and had not been repaired since then.

Residents from Paledang also demanded that PT KAI remove a water tower near the bridge as it was no longer used, he said.

"It's better to remove the tower than to have it as a hazard," he said.

Another resident, Ato Santoso, shared Dirga's view, saying that similar fatal accidents had often taken place there over the past couple years.

"Every holiday season, there are always three or four fatalities because of that bridge. Usually, passengers are knocked off a speeding train while they sit on its roof," Ato said.

However, Ato said the most casualties resulted from last Wednesday's train crash.

Local residents, he said, frequently warn passengers of the approaching bridge.

"People often scream at the passengers to get off the roof and watch out for the bridge ahead, but they ignore it," Ato said, adding that most of the victims were teenagers from Jakarta who did not know there was a bridge, tunnel or water tower along the route.

Train officials have repeatedly warned people not to ride on top of the train or sit near the doors, but many do not heed the warnings.

Bogor Police have questioned three officials at Bogor Railway Station. The incident, however, was ruled as an accident and no charges will be laid. (21/edt)