Indonesia: Train collision in Sumatra kills 4

Indonesia: Train collision in Sumatra kills 4

2012-02-21 09:15:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

PALEMBANG, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least four people were killed on Sunday morning when two freight trains collided on Indonesia's island of Sumatra, local media reported on Monday. Two others were injured.

The accident happened at around 5:30 a.m. local time on Sunday when two trains carrying coal collided on a track in the Muara Enim Regency of South Sumatra province. One of the trains was carrying 44 coal carriages while the other was carrying 16 coal carriages.

Jaka Jarkasih, public relations chief of state railway company Kereta Api Indonesia, told the Antara news agency that the two machinists, 49-year-old Jazwir and 45-year-old Sunaidi, were killed in the accident. Machinist assistants Ranggi, 21, and Sajidin, 30, were also killed.

Two other crew members were injured in the accident, Antara reported. Their conditions were not immediately known.

Company officials were still working to remove the ill-fated trains from the railways on Monday, causing the stoppage of coal supply to Java. "The rail traffic from Palembang to Lubuklinggau as well as to Tanjungkarang is not operating at the moment," a witness was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-21