Train crash claims 10 lives in W. Java

Train crash claims 10 lives in W. Java

JAKARTA (JP): Two trains collided head-on in Cirebon, West
Java in the early hours of Friday morning, killing 10 people.

Preliminary findings indicate that the accident occurred when
the driver of one of the trains fell asleep.

"There is no excuse. The driver had already had one day's
rest. But apparently he didn't use his time properly," said Rony
Wahyudi, head of the Cirebon office of Perumka, the state railway
firm.

The Tegal Arum train, traveling from Jakarta to the Central
Java town of Tegal, was moving at full speed on the wrong track
when it rammed into the Senja Ekonomi, which was making a stop at
Arjawinangun station en route from Surakarta to Jakarta.

Eight people were killed instantly and two others died at the
local hospital, according to the Antara news agency.

Among the victims were a married couple, Darsan and Tanya, and
their 14-year-old daughter Tanti, who were all seated in the
first car of the Tegal Arum. Their six-year-old son Timbul Jaya
is still recovering from his injuries and has not yet been
informed that he is now an orphan.

All the dead victims had been traveling in the first car of
the Tegal Arum.

The accident also left at least 50 passengers from both trains
injured, many with broken arms and legs. All are being treated at
hospitals in Cirebon.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto confirmed that
the accident was caused by negligence on the part of the train
operator and pointed out that the signals were in working order
at the time and that the train's brakes had been working
properly.

The Tegal Arum's driver ignored a signal requiring it to stop.
"He might have fallen asleep at that time," Haryanto said,
recalling that the accident occurred at 2:30 a.m.

The minister said, however, that his office will conduct a
thorough investigation to locate the cause of the accident.

A Tegal Arum passenger recalled that the train was moving
faster than normal immediately after leaving Jakarta. "It only
stopped when it crashed."

Both trains suffered extensive damage, but the accident did
not cause any major congestion along the busy railway line
between Jakarta and Central Java because it occurred on a minor
alternate route.

Friday's accident was the first major rail crash in Indonesia
this year.

Last year, 20 people died when two trains collided in Depok,
near Jakarta. The worst train crash in the country's history was
in 1987 in Bintaro, South Jakarta, when 129 people were killed.
(05/yns)