Magetan. Four people were killed and three others seriously injured when a train struck a group of motorcyclists at a railway crossing in Magetan Regency, East Java, on Monday. Authorities suspect human error after the crossing gate was reportedly opened too early.

Witnesses said vehicles were lined up at the crossing when a train passed. As soon as the gate lifted, several motorcyclists began to cross -- unaware that a second train was approaching from the opposite direction on a parallel track.

“Just after the Matarmaja Train from Madiun to Yogyakarta passed, the gate was lifted. A number of motorcycles began moving, and that’s when the Malioboro Ekspres, coming from Purwokerto to Malang, appeared and crashed into them,” said Nur Hamdani, a local resident who witnessed the incident, which occurred at 12:49 p.m. local time.

Four motorcyclists died instantly at the scene, while three others were rushed to the hospital with critical injuries, he added.

Magetan Police Chief Adjunct Chief Commissioner Erik Bangun Prakasa said the preliminary investigation points to human negligence.

“We’ve interrogated multiple witnesses, including the crossing gate operator, to determine the exact cause of the accident,” Erik said.

Evacuation efforts were initially hampered by large crowds gathering at the scene, prompting police to cordon off the area to allow ambulance access.

State railway company KAI has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.

A Rare Tragedy at a Guarded Crossing
While railway crossing accidents are common in Indonesia, most occur at unguarded or illegal crossings. Accidents at guarded crossings like the one in Magetan are considered rare.

According to the Ministry of Transportation, Indonesia has approximately 5,000 railway crossings, of which 3,121 lack adequate safety systems and 628 are classified as illegal

Data from the Indonesian Transportation Community (MTI) shows that between 2018 and May 2023, there were 1,782 accidents at railway crossings nationwide.