Rescue teams in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Indonesia's capital, continued efforts early on Tuesday to free passengers trapped inside severely damaged train cars after a collision late on Monday that has killed seven people and injured 81, officials said.
The collision involved a commuter train and a long-distance train, local authorities said. Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, described the work of removing survivors from the crushed carriages as delicate and requiring specially trained personnel.
"We needed to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication," he said. "There are some victims who are alive to this minute and we’re hoping to extricate them, but they’re still pinned by the train material."
At the scene, rescuers were observed using angle grinders to cut through metal panels and compartment walls to reach people still trapped inside the wreckage, according to on-site accounts.
Bobby Rasyidin, chief executive of state-owned rail operator PT KAI, confirmed the death toll had risen to seven and provided details about how the collision unfolded. He said a taxi located on the tracks was struck by the commuter train, and the following impact involved the long-distance train colliding with a women-only carriage on the commuter service.
Green SM Indonesia, the local unit of a Vietnamese electric-vehicle taxi operator affiliated with Vingroup, stated on Instagram that the taxi involved belonged to their fleet. The company added that it had supplied information to authorities to aid the investigation.
Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has opened an inquiry into the accident. Officials did not provide further immediate details on the causal sequence beyond the involvement of the taxi and the two trains.
Land-transport accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia. The article noted a separate train collision in West Java earlier in 2024 that resulted in four deaths and dozens of injuries.
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