Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Transportation Ministry deployed emergency response officers to evacuate passengers from an Argo Semeru train that derailed on the crossing between Sentolo and Wates stations, Kulon Progo district, Yogyakarta, on Tuesday and investigate the incident.
"The evacuation team is already deployed to evacuate and ensure the passengers' safety. They are also coordinating to bring in a series of heavy equipment and supporting locomotives to evacuate the affected facilities," the ministry's director general of railways, Risal Wasal, informed in a statement released on Tuesday.
To evacuate the affected passengers, a series of extraordinary trains (KLB) have been sent from Yogyakarta, he informed. The Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) is coordinating intensively with the emergency response team to ensure there are no victims, Wasal said.
"At the same time, we will investigate and explore the chronology of the incident to immediately take further steps to handle it," he added.
The ministry has also expressed concern over the derailment involving the Argo Semeru train series bearing the registration number KA 17 on the Surabaya Gubeng-Gambir route. The incident took place at the intersection between Sentolo and Wates stations, Km 520+4, on Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. local time. Ten minutes later, an Argo Wilis train came from the west and brushed past the Argo Semeru train, resulting in both rail tracks getting blocked. The carriages of the two trains were damaged and not fit to continue the trip.
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As per the latest data from the ministry, three passengers suffered minor injuries in the accident and were attended to by officials from state-owned railway company PT KAI's Operational Regional (Daop) 6 Yogyakarta. There were no casualties.
PT KAI's next efforts include evacuating passengers from the two trains and repairing the damaged rail tracks. For trains running through the Wates-Sentolo area, KAI will devise an operational pattern in the form of detours and transfers to different trains or buses.
