Vietnam extends condolences over deadly train crash in Indonesia

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the message was sent after reports of a serious railway accident in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, late on Monday.

Reuters reported that the collision involved a commuter train and a long-distance train.

Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, said all the victims were women and most of them had been pinned inside by crushed metal.

It had been a delicate process to extricate them from the mangled carriages, he added, but the evacuation had been ⁠completed.

President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to build an overpass near the crash site and ordered a full investigation.

He acknowledged that parts of Indonesia’s railway system have not been properly maintained.

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee is now examining the cause of the accident.