At least 14 people were killed when a long-distance train slammed into the rear car of a stopped commuter train outside Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, the state-owned KAI railway company said on Tuesday.

Another 84 people were hospitalized, the company added. The collision occurred at Bekasi Timur Station, where the long-distance train struck the rear car of the commuter train, which was designated for women only—a common measure to prevent harassment.

According to Anne Purba, a KAI spokesperson, all victims were on the commuter train. Officials said all 240 passengers on the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train were evacuated safely.

The Jakarta search and rescue agency said in a statement that the collision caused "significant damage to several train carriages." Several people were trapped in the carriages due to the force of the impact. Rescuers worked to reach them, and most had been freed by Tuesday morning.

Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told reporters it was a delicate process to rescue survivors from the mangled carriages. "We needed to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication. 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."

Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri told reporters at the scene that police were investigating the cause of the accident. Accidents are common on Indonesia's aging railroad network. In January 2024, two trains collided in West Java, killing at least four people.

Source: www.dw.com