Four killed, many injured in two-train collision in Indonesia’s West Java

Four people have been killed and at least 42 were injured after two commuter trains collided in Indonesia’s West Java province, the authorities have said.

The accident on Friday happened when a long-distance train from the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya, collided with a commuter train near Bandung, the provincial capital, said Adita Irawati, a spokesperson for the transport ministry.

A total of 478 passengers were on board the trains, said Ibrahim Tompo, a spokesperson for West Java police.

Video images from local broadcasters MetroTV and Kompas TV showed passengers being helped out of train carriages, some of which had gone off the rails entirely following the collision at 6:03am local time (23:03 GMT).

The front carriages of both trains were mangled wrecks while others further back had derailed and overturned on a stretch of tracks cutting through rice fields.

The four fatalities were train staff – the driver and his assistant on the commuter train and a steward and a security guard on the express train, Ibrahim said.

Two of them were killed after being squeezed between carriages, he said. Rescuers were trying to recover the body of one crew member.

All the passengers were evacuated, and those injured were taken to local hospitals.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but train operator PT KAI and the provincial government have said they will investigate, along with transport safety officials.

Adita, the ministry spokesperson, said rescuers were working to remove the wreckage and restore service.

Train accidents are common on Indonesia’s ageing railroad network, especially at crossings.