In the early hours of October 2nd a high-speed collision occured between two intercity trains in West Java that killed 36 people and injured about 40.

Several train cars derailed and flipped after the Argo Bromo Anggrek, on its way from Jakarta to Surabaya, slammed into the rear car of a second train, the Senja Utama, which was sitting on the track at Petarukan station, Pemalang, Central Java.

Police Inspector General Iskandar Hasan said:

We suspect the cause was a mistake with track control, while the Argo Bromo should have gone onto the right track to overtake the Senja Utama, instead the Argo Bromo entered the left track and collided with the Senja Utama from behind.

The conductor/driver of the Argo Bromo, Halik Rudianto, has been arrested and faces criminal negligence charges, with Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi having publicly accused him of failing to stop at a red signal.

Meanwhile later that day in Purwosari, Solo, Central Java, another very similar accident occurred, with the KA Bima train crashing into the back of the KA Gaya Baru, killing one person and injuring four others.

It appears that the Gaya Baru train had not been properly ‘parked’, with its rearmost carriage still protruding into a track intersection, and the path of oncoming trains.

Some are blaming the mistake on the ‘tense’ situation at the station at the time of the accident, with hundreds of Persib Bandung soccer fans crowding the area waiting for the Surabaya bound KA Bima, obstructing and distracting railway officials. vhrmedia