Police name suspect in fatal train derailment
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Kebumen
Police in the Central Java district of Kebumen have declared the driver of a box truck as a suspect in the railway accident in which a train hit the box truck and derailed, killing at least six people and injuring 30.
The locomotive and eight of the train's 11 carriages, packed with around 450 passengers returning to Jakarta after celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns, derailed and plowed into rice fields.
Ahmad Saefuddin, 32, has been accused of causing the fatal derailment on Monday night at Tersobo village in Prembun subdistrict, Kebumen.
"We will charge him with (violating) Article 359 of the Criminal Code, notably with recklessness that causes injury to, or the death of, others," Kebumen Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Prasta Wahyu Hidayat said at his office Wednesday. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Saefuddin is being held for further interrogation at the Kebumen Police office.
The Dwipangga express train, traveling from the Central Java town of Solo to Jakarta, skidded off the tracks after hitting the top of the box truck, license number B-9089-ZJ, which had gotten stuck at the entrance of the underpass running beneath, and perpendicular to, the railroad.
Hidayat added that the derailment occurred also for the reason that the tracks had been bent out of shape to a point 37 centimeters from where the box truck had struck the roof of the underpass.
He said Saefuddin should not have driven his truck into the underpass, which accommodates vehicles up to a maximum height of 2.4 meters; the box truck Saefuddin was driving had a height of 2.7 meters.
"The driver will be punished accordingly, and the truck owner must also share the responsibility in order to prevent similar accidents from recurring in the future," he said.
The crash also crippled the main line on the southern coast of Java, which serves the Jakarta-Surabaya route passing through Yogyakarta, Kebumen, Kroya and Purwokerto.
The accident caused the cancellation of several trains heading from Jakarta to Surabaya,and delayed the arrival of other trains for more than 10 hours as they were rerouted to the northern coast line.
Meanwhile, the tracks running through Kebumen have already been cleared, and the line was operating normally by Tuesday evening.
Central Java Governor Mardiyanto praised state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) on Wednesday for quickly clearing the railroad and restoring operations. The governor also expressed his gratitude to local government officials and the villagers of Kebumen for their quick response in helping the victims of the crash.
He said that the departure and arrival times of as many as 62 trains had been rescheduled due to Monday's accident.
Only three of the six passengers killed have been identified at the Kebumen public hospital so far. They are: Aryono, 40, from Solo; Bambang Supriyanto, 36, from Yogyakarta; and Maedi Hendri, 28, from Mampang Prapatan in South Jakarta.
Fatal crashes are common along the country's poorly maintained railroads and railway systems. Carriages are often overcrowded and signaling systems are prone to breaking down. On Dec. 25, 2001, at least 30 were killed in a train crash in Central Java.
Indonesia is currently in its busiest season for travel with millions of people crisscrossing cities throughout the country to attend family reunions celebrating Idul Fitri, the post-fasting month of Ramadhan.