Two Chinese workers were killed, police said, while five others were severely wounded after a construction train was derailed on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased victims were identified as 40-year-old Chang Shin Shang and 36-year-old Chang Shin Yung.
“They were Chinese nationals. They were both technicians,” National Police spokesman Inspector General Dedi Prasteyo said today.
Three of the five wounded victims have been identified as Chinese railway workers at the site.
The railway incident occurred at around 5pm in West Bandung, West Java. Footage shows a green train carriage and heavy equipment, which are used to lay down or stabilize train tracks, derailed on the construction site.
Police say they’re investigating the cause of the accident.
PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (PT KCIC), a joint venture between a consortium of Indonesian state-owned companies and China Railway International Co. Ltd., in its statement today stressed that the accident did not involve the actual Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train (KCJB). The company also said that the incident would not delay construction of the railway ahead of the KCJB’s anticipated June 2023 launch date.
The 142.3 kilometer high-speed railway, which is said will cut travel between Jakarta and Bandung to just 35 minutes, is the first phase of a planned 750 kilometer line that would run across the island of Java. The high-speed trains will be the fastest railway service in all of Southeast Asia.
The US$7.8 billion railway will feature four stations from Jakarta to Bandung, namely Halim in East Jakarta, Karawang and Padalarang in West Java, and Tegalluar on the outskirts of Bandung. Those who travel to Bandung will have to hop on a feeder bus or find their own way to the city center.
