• Four people, including two children, died in a train collision in Central Java.
• The accident occurred due to thick fog at a level crossing.
• Authorities blame ongoing safety issues at railway crossings in Indonesia.
• This incident follows another train crash near Jakarta that killed 16 people.
• President Prabowo Subianto has ordered nationwide upgrades to improve safety.

A tragic train crash in Grobogan, Central Java, resulted in four fatalities, among them two children, including a two-year-old girl and a ten-year-old. The accident took place when a train collided with a car on Friday, which was unable to see the oncoming train due to thick fog on the level crossing, according to police. The car, carrying nine people, was flung about 20 meters before it collided with a pole and flipped into a rice field, injuring the driver and remaining passengers as well, as detailed by local traffic officer Eko Ari Kisworo in a statement issued by the police, according to Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and The Jakarta Post.

The incident occurred just days after another severe accident where a long-distance train struck a stationary commuter train in Bekasi Timur, West Java, killing 16 women and injuring at least 90 others. Following this previous tragedy, President Prabowo Subianto criticized the prevalence of unsafe level crossings and has mandated a nationwide upgrade involving guard posts or flyovers to enhance safety on railway crossings, as reported by Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and The Jakarta Post.

Transport accidents are common in Indonesia, a large archipelago where public transport systems are often criticized for being outdated and poorly maintained. Over the years, various incidents have drawn attention to the conditions of railway safety, with notable accidents including a major train crash in January 2024 that claimed four crew members' lives in West Java province, highlighting the urgent need for infrastructural improvements, according to Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and The Jakarta Post.