A COLLISION between a commuter train and a minibus on a level crossing in the Indonesian capital Jakarta yesterday killed at least 16 people and injured several others, an official said.

    “There were 24 people inside the minibus, 16 people died including the driver, the rest are still being treated at hospitals,” Jakarta police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said.

    The transport ministry spokesman J.A. Barata said that a team from the ministry and the National Transportation Safety Committee would be deployed to investigate the cause of the crash, the spokesman added.

    Eva Chairunisa, a spokeswoman for train operator Kereta Commuter Line, said the accident happened shortly before 9 a.m. when a train slammed into a packed minibus as it crossed a railway line in the north of the city.

    The bus drove past a closed gate at the level crossing before it was hit, she said.

    “No one on the train was hurt in the accident but several bus passengers died,” she said.

    Chairunisa said the train driver followed standard procedures and sounded the horn to warn the bus before the accident happened.

    (SD-Agencies)