Still Alive: Survivors 10-Hour Ordeal in Bekasi Train Collision

TheIndonesia.co - Death seemed to be standing right before Endang Kuswati’s eyes when a devastating collision between a commuter line train and the Argo Bromo train struck near Bekasi Timur Station.

Amid the wreckage of the crushed carriages, Endang was trapped in critical condition, nearly losing hope. Rescue officers had even initially presumed she had died.

This dramatic account was later recounted by her husband, Budi Harmanto, as he accompanied Endang at Bekasi City Regional Hospital.

According to Endang’s account, the tragedy unfolded in a split second. At the moment of impact, she had been looking down inside the carriage.

“She said it all happened so quickly. She was looking down, then someone ran from behind. As she was about to turn, suddenly there was a very loud horn from the intercity train,” Budi told Suara.com on Wednesday (29 April 2026).

The deafening sound of the horn became Endang’s last memory before the violent crash struck her carriage. She immediately lost consciousness.

When she regained awareness, the scene around her had turned into a nightmare. Endang found her body pinned beneath twisted metal. Even more harrowing, two other passengers lay lifeless on top of her.

“When she came to, she was already trapped, with two people above her who had already passed away,” Budi said sombrely.

In the darkness and the nearly airless space, the evacuation process moved extremely slowly. Rescue teams initially passed by Endang. As she was completely immobile and showed no response, officers briefly declared her deceased.

“Because she couldn’t move, the officers initially thought she had died,” Budi explained.

Yet, on the brink of surrender, Endang’s will to survive surged. Though her body could barely move, she refused to give in. She mustered all her strength simply to signal that she was still alive.

“In her mind, she had to stay strong. That’s why she tried to move her hand or body, just so they would know she was alive,” he added.

Her effort eventually paid off. A sharp-eyed rescuer noticed a slight movement among the debris. The atmosphere, which had been sombre, suddenly shifted to urgency and relief.

“The officers then said, ‘there’s still someone alive, still alive’. From there, they immediately gave her oxygen,” Budi said.

Extracting Endang was far from easy. Due to the complex position in which she was trapped, she had to endure 10 hours inside the mangled carriage before she was finally evacuated on Tuesday morning (28 April).