TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Latest train collision reminds many of Bintaro Tragedy
Train wreck: An employee of train operator PT KAI calls for more hands to evacuate a dead passenger from a train car after a collision with a fuel tanker at a crossing in Pondok Betung, Bintaro district, South Jakarta, on Monday
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
T
span class="caption">Train wreck: An employee of train operator PT KAI calls for more hands to evacuate a dead passenger from a train car after a collision with a fuel tanker at a crossing in Pondok Betung, Bintaro district, South Jakarta, on Monday. At least 5 died and 91 others were injured in the accident. Antara/Dhoni Setiawan
Hartini Gustiani, 39, had a hunch something bad was going to happen on her way to work, on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta, from her home in Sudimara, Tangerang, on Monday.
That premonition came true just 30 minutes later when the train she was traveling on was involved in a deadly collision at a railroad crossing in Pondok Betung, Bintaro, South Jakarta.
The electric train plying the Serpong-Tanah Abang route collided with a fuel tanker, owned by state oil and gas company PT Pertamina, near the Al-Muslimun Mosque.
The mother of three, who was in the third women-only car, said the collision caused an explosion that caused extensive damage to the train's engine, the driver's room and the first car.
The first three cars were women-only.
'It was at around 11.30 a.m. when the train crashed into the fuel tanker, ' she said, adding that she was thrown against the side of the train.
She said she was thankful that her earlier feeling had influenced her choice to choose the third car.
'I usually use the first car, but I made up my mind this morning. My heart told me to do so,' she said.
Meanwhile, Anita, 22, who works in the Blok M area in South Jakarta, could not stop the flow of tears as she remembered what had happened in the car she was sat in.
'I was in the second car, right behind the car that burst into flames when the train crashed into the tanker,' she said, adding that she witnessed people trying to escape from the onslaught of fire.
She said her mind kept repeating a scene that she had witnessed: People on fire and pregnant woman being trampled on by those attempting to escape.
Anita, who usually takes train from Pondok Kranji, Bekasi to Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, said that she did not know if she would use the train again.
'I am still in shock. If I have to take the train again, I expect a better emergency exit procedure,' she said.
Anita said that she and other survivors found it difficult to break the train's windows because of a lack of window breakers in their car.
She added that they only finally escaped after several survivors smashed a window from the outside.
Hartini and Anita were among the fortunate that escaped the tragedy.
According to the Jakarta Police the incident had so far claimed at least five lives and injured 91, nine of whom had suffered burns. Most of the victims were women.
Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said that the victims were rushed to Pertamina Central Hospital (RSPP), Fatmawati Hospital, Dr. Suyoto Hospital and Kramat Jati Police Hospital.
The police had questioned seven witnesses so far: three men who guarded the crossing and four people who witnessed the accident, Rikwanto said.
Efendi, 53, who lives near to where the incident occurred, said the intersection had seen many accidents.
He said that besides the current tragedy, two trains derailed and crashed into each other in 1987 only 200 meters from today's collision site. This became later known as the Bintaro Tragedy, which claimed the lives of 129.
In 2005, a train crashed into a minivan that was trying to slip past the railway barrier. About three years ago, Efendi added, a train had crashed into a motorcycle driven by a church official.
'I think today's accident is the second largest after the Bintaro Tragedy,' he said.
Besides the loss of life, the incident also disrupted a nearby elementary school.
The incident stopped activities at nearby state elementary SDN 01 Bintaro, which was used as a temporary post for the police and the Jakarta Health Agency. (koi/nai)
