Tasikmalaya train crash toll up to 19

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)