JAKARTA, Nov 19, 2023 (AFP) – A collision between a train and a minibus at a level crossing in the east of Indonesia’s most populous island Java on Sunday killed at least 11 people and injured several others, an official told local media.
The train was travelling towards the port city of Surabaya when it hit a minibus carrying a dozen passengers at a crossing in the East Java city of Lumajang at around 8:00 pm (1300 GMT), broadcaster Kompas TV reported.
“Ten died on location, and one (died) at a community health centre after receiving treatment,” acting Lumajang district head Indah Wahyuni told the network.
She said four people including a child were being treated at a local hospital, adding it was unclear if they were related.
“At the time, there were no railway cross bars, so there were no signs that could give information to the driver,” a Kompas TV journalist said after the accident.
Images showed an overturned blue minibus with victims being carried away on medical beds.
Anwar Yuli Prastyo, a local official from government-owned train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia, told Kompas the train proceeded on its journey after the accident.
Transport accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation where buses, trains and even planes are often old and badly maintained.
In 2015, a collision between a commuter train and a minibus on a level crossing in the capital Jakarta killed 16 people.
In 2013, seven people were killed and scores more injured when a commuter train collided with a fuel tanker at a level crossing in Jakarta and burst into flames.