Relatives mourn victims of train crash in Kroya

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto, Central Java

An unattended railway crossing in the town of Kroya led to a train crash that claimed five lives, including a family of four, but state railroad company PT KAI has refused to accept any responsibility for the accident.

Family of the victims said on Monday they accepted that the deaths of Muryono, 44, his wife Sutiwen, 40, their two children Karso, 22, and Daniati, 21, and Ari Wahyu, 15, a relative, was simply an accident.

"They told us they were driving to Kroya to pick up a relative who had been visiting the town. But man proposes, God disposes, and we have to accept that," Kiwan, 50, an older brother of Sutiwen, said during the funeral for the family of four in Ketenger village, Baturaden district, the birthplace of Muryono.

"We miss them. Maybe God intended to take them all because survivors of the accident would only suffer for the rest of their lives," Kiwan said.

The bodies of Muryono and Sutiwen were buried in one hole, as were the bodies of Karso and Daniati. Ari was buried separately.

The five were killed when their Suzuki Carry minivan was struck by a speeding train in the Central Java town of Kroya at about 8 p.m. on Sunday. The train was traveling to Jakarta from Yogyakarta. The minivan rolled over and over, coming to a stop about 200 meters away, crushing to death everyone in the vehicle.

This was the second traffic accident involving a train and a vehicle within less than a month. Last December, an Argo Dwipangga express train derailed as a result of a damaged railway bridge that had been hit by a truck, killing five train passengers.

Last Thursday, an entire family was among the 19 people who died in a traffic accident in Slawi, Central Java, when an intercity bus burst into flame after hitting oil drums.

Muryono's father, Khasan, 63, recounted the last time he spoke with his son as he prepared to leave for Kroya.

"I never thought he was saying goodbye forever. They left me and never returned," Khasan said as he received condolences from neighbors and friends of his son, who was an administrative staffer at the nursing school in Baturaden.

Daniati, who was a student at a university in Yogyakarta, was on holiday in her hometown.

It takes about an hour to drive from Baturaden, a hilly tourist resort at the foot of Mt. Slamet, to Kroya.

An official with PT KAI Operational Region V overseeing Purwokerto and its surrounding towns, Daryono, said the company was not at fault in the accident, despite the fact that the railway crossing was built by the firm.

"We do not consider that crossing to be busy, so we did not equip it with a crossbar and a railway attendant. There are hundreds of other crossing like that across Java," he said.

He said PT KAI simply put up traffic signals for motorists at railway crossings classified as not busy.

"And the site of accident is surrounded by rice fields, so motorists have a clear view of any approaching trains," Daryono said, overlooking the fact that the crash took place at night.

Daryono added that PT KAI was ready for a legal fight if the family of the victims filed a lawsuit.

According to Law No. 13/1992 on railway affairs, the company cannot be faulted for the incident, Daryono said.

"Other road users have to wait for trains," he said.