Death toll from Indonesia train crash rises to 16

The death toll from a train crash outside the Indonesian capital Jakarta rose to 16, all women, after an injured passenger passed away in hospital, officials said Wednesday.

A long-distance train slammed into the last, women-only carriage of a stationary commuter train near the Bekasi Timur station late Monday, prompting a nearly 12-hour rescue effort with crews prying open mangled carriages.

Jakarta police spokesperson Budi Hermanto told AFP on Wednesday that a 25-year-old woman died in the morning, bringing the toll to 16.

Ninety people were injured in the incident, Budi said. Forty-four were discharged after receiving hospital treatment.

The national search and rescue agency said all the victims were women.

The commuter train had been standing at a level crossing after an incident involving a taxi at a level crossing, when the long-distance train crashed into the back of it, officials have said.

All the victims were on the commuter train.

The transport ministry has opened an investigation into the taxi company, Minister Dudy Purwagandhi told reporters Wednesday.

President Prabowo Subianto has blamed the deadly incident on unsafe level crossings and ordered a countrywide upgrade with guard posts or flyovers.

Transport accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation where buses, trains and even planes are often old and poorly maintained.

AFP

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