Two killed in train accident

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: A tanker train hit a motorbike in Sukamerindu village, some 150 kilometers southeast of the provincial capital, Palembang, on Saturday, killing the driver and his passenger instantly.

Basnawi, the spokesman for the local office of the state-owned railroad company, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), said the accident occurred because the victims had ignored the warning siren at the crossing in the village with the result that they were hit by the passing train.

"The two victims were killed on the spot and the motorbike was wrecked," he said, adding that the train was transporting fuel from Prabumulih to Baturaja in Muara Enim regency.

The two victims, identified as Sutoman bin Muryan, 46, and Aliban bin Jaman, 34, were brought by the local police to the nearby hospital for a postmortem, while the locomotive driver, Albani, and his assistant, Heryanto, were detained at the local police station for questioning, he said. --JP