Tasikmalaya train crash toll up to 19

JAKARTA (JP): Search and rescue workers have pulled six more bodies from the wreckage of the train that plunged into a ravine near Tasikmamaya, West Java, on Monday night.

The recovery of the six bodies yesterday brought the death toll from the derailment to 19. More than 90 people are still in hospital with injuries sustained in the accident.

A spokesman for the Tasikmalaya police precinct, Chief Sergeant Priyanto, said that some of those killed had been dismembered beyond recognition.

"It is possible that there are more bodies still inside the derailed cars. We are continuing to search," Priyanto told The Jakarta Post by telephone last night.

The train, reportedly packed with passengers, was heading for Kediri, East Java, from the West Java capital of Bandung when it left the tracks in the village of Cipeundeuy, about one hour before it was scheduled to arrive at Tasikmalaya station.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation but police say the train, with 13 cars, was overburdened when the derailment occurred. The train reportedly got out of control and plunged into a ravine in a winding section of track.

No official statement has been made as to the number of passengers aboard the train when it crashed. Local media have given figures ranging from 351 to 758.

Priyanto said that the remains of two 10-year-old boys were among the bodies recovered yesterday.

Residents of the area say that Monday's accident was the third of its kind in less than 40 years. In 1959, more than 400 people were killed in a similar disaster. (pan)