Mazaj News (Web Desk) The death toll from a collision involving two trains near Jakarta, Indonesia, has increased to 14, while 84 others have been injured, according to the train operator. Rescue teams are still working to free passengers trapped in the wreckage.
The accident took place late Monday in Bekasi, located just outside the Indonesian capital, when a commuter train collided with a long-distance train.
Bobby Rasyidi, head of Indonesia’s state railway company PT KAI, confirmed the updated death toll and said evacuation efforts were still underway.
Mohammad Syafii, chief of the national search and rescue agency, described the operation as highly delicate, noting that specialized personnel were required to safely extract victims from the damaged carriages.
He added that some passengers remained alive inside the wreckage but were still stuck under twisted train parts.
Rescue teams, along with Red Cross workers, have managed to separate the train carriages, with reports saying angle grinders were used to cut through metal in order to reach survivors.
Authorities said the commuter train initially struck a taxi on the tracks before being hit by the long-distance train. A women-only carriage reportedly suffered the most severe damage.
The taxi operator Green SM Indonesia confirmed that the vehicle involved belonged to its fleet and said it is cooperating with investigators. The company is the Indonesian branch of Vietnam’s electric taxi service Green and Smart Mobility JSC, linked to Vingroup.
President Prabowo Subianto, after visiting injured victims in hospital, said a flyover would be constructed near the accident site to ease traffic issues and stressed that a full investigation would be carried out. He also pointed out concerns over poor maintenance in parts of the railway system.
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has launched an official probe into the crash.
At the station, emotional scenes unfolded as families searched for loved ones, with one man seen grieving while holding his brother’s blood-stained bag.
Another passenger, Heriyati, said she had planned to sit in the women-only carriage but instead chose the next one. She was on a phone call with her husband moments before the impact.
“I hadn’t even ended the call when the trains collided,” she recalled.
Commuter trains in Jakarta, one of the world’s most populated cities, are heavily used daily. Following the crash, PT KAI announced several service disruptions.
Train accidents are relatively frequent in Indonesia, with a similar incident in West Java in 2024 killing four people and injuring dozens.