Trains collide near Indonesia's capital, killing at least 3 people

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — One train slammed into another at a station outside Indonesia's capital on Monday, killing at least three people, officials said.

“There are 29 victims who have been evacuated to three nearby hospitals,” Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri told reporters at the scene in the suburb of Bekasi.

An investigation is underway, he said.

The Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train crashed into the rear car of a commuter train that was stopped at Bekasi Timur Station, causing severe damage.

The car had been designated for women only, a common accommodation to help avoid harassment.

Local television footage and videos on social media showed passengers at the station panicking. First responders and residents tried to evacuate passengers from train cars, while dozens of people rushed to the station for news of family members.

The vice president for corporate communications of the state-owned railway company, PT Kereta Api Indonesia, issued an apology to customers.

“At this time, all efforts are focused on evacuating passengers and crew, as well as assisting victims at the scene, with safety as the top priority,” Anne Purba said in a statement.

Purba said commuter rail service in the area was disrupted.

Accidents are common on Indonesia’s aging railroad network. In January 2024, two trains collided in West Java province, killing at least four people,

In October 2013, a passenger train slammed into a minibus at an unguarded crossing in West Java, killing 13 people. A train from Jakarta, in 2010 plowed into the rear of a train that was sitting at a station in Central Java province, killing 36.