Seven die in Indonesia road crash

A collision between a commuter train and a truck transporting liquefied gas in the Indonesian capital has left at least seven people dead and six others injured.

Eva Chairunisa, the spokeswoman of PT KAI Commuter Train Company, said that the incident took place in southern Jakarta on Monday.

Chairunisa added that the crash caused the train burst into flames while black smoke billowed from the site of the incident.

Indonesian Transport Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan has confirmed the fatalities, including the train driver.

“Other than the driver, we have not yet identified the victims,” he said.

Sukendar Mulya, a spokesman for state-owned train company Kereta Api Indonesia, also said that injured passengers were taken to hospital and that “we are coordinating with police and other agencies in the area for the evacuation.”

“The first and last carriages on this train were for women only, so it was the first carriage that collided with the truck,” Mulya stated.

South Jakarta Police Chief Colonel Wahyuhadiningrat told El Shinta radio that the “fire is still there while the evacuation is underway.”

Jakarta has launched an investigation into the fatal crash.

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

On October 1, a collision between a passenger train and a minibus in Java Island killed over a dozen people and severely injured six others.

In 2010, nearly 40 people were killed in a train crash near the city of Pemalang in Central Java Province.