Posted 16 April 2006 @ 09:55
Updated 16 April 2006 @ 10:00
JAKARTA, 16 April 2006 - The head-on collision between two trains leaving at least 13 people dead and 26 others injured in Grobogan district, Indonesia's Central Java province, early Saturday morning was caused by human error, Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa said. "However, we have to wait for the outcome of a further investigation by the National Committee on Transportation Accidents (KNKT) for a more detailed explanation of what caused the accident," Antara news agency quoted the minister as saying during a visit to the scene.
Hatta said preliminary data and information on the accident had led to the conclusion that it was caused by human error because the an economic train engine driver should have stopped his train at Gubug station to wait until another train had passed. "All of the railway traffic systems were functioning normally when the accident happened. Therefore, we can say that human error is blamed for the accident," Hatta added.
The minister also said the accident had been reported to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the president extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and said the case should be dealt with thoroughly and effectively. He said President Yudhoyono had asked that the wounded passengers of the ill-fated trains be given free medical treatment.
Yudhoyono also asked the Indonesian Railway Company, PT. KeretaApi Indonesia (KAI) to immediately clear the railway track between Semarang and Surabaya where the accident took place.
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