Indonesian train crash death toll rises to 42

A packed passenger train slammed into a stationary train also loaded with travelers in Indonesia's Central Java province early…

A packed passenger train slammed into a stationary train also loaded with travelers in Indonesia's Central Java province early this morning, killing 42 people and seriously injuring dozens, officials reported.

Central Java police chief Inspector-General Erwin Mappaseng said in an interview broadcast on local Metro TV that 42 people were killed in the accident near the town of Brebes.

"For the time being, we suspect the accident was caused by human error," Mappaseng said.

The accident happened at around 4 a.m. (4 p.m. EST Monday), local police said.

READ MORE

Hospital officials put the death toll at only 30 but added that number would increase because rescue efforts were still taking place.

"The number of victims with serious injuries are quite a lot too, they're about dozens of them," Imron, a spokesman from Brebes public hospital told Reuters.

Transport Minister Agum Gumelar immediately visited the crash site but made no comments, the official news agency Antara reported.

One police officer said the moving train was traveling at high speed when it crashed into the stationary train at a small station just outside Brebes, 175 miles east of Jakarta.

"We are not sure how many have died but it could be a lot," the police official told Reuters by telephone from Brebes.

He said both trains were packed with passengers.

No further details on the crash were immediately available.