Ghosts blamed for runaway train

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SUPERSTITIOUS Indonesians have blamed ghosts or black magic for the mysterious journey of an empty commuter train, which travelled 45km from Bogor to Jakarta before grinding to a halt.

The electric train, parked in a Bogor rail siding, mysteriously came to life last week and began travelling out of the Java hills into Jakarta's suburbs at about 65kph.

An railway employee climbed aboard one of the carriages and tried to stop the train but was unable to enter the driver's compartment.

The train eventually stopped on a hill in the city centre without causing any loss of life or injury.

Railway officials blamed its unscheduled journey on technical problems.

But a number of Jakarta commuters told Detik.com news that they believed ghosts piloted the train on its journey.

One man said he was afraid to talk about the trip and said just thinking about it made his hair stand on end.

In a country where many people believe in ghosts and black magic, an employee at Manggarai railway station said he was trying not to dwell on what caused the mysterious event.

"I don't want to say anything supernatural about this case, because it's a matter of the above God," he said.

A spokesman for the government train company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) admitted the train's journey was a first and promised an investigation.

"This case could go into the Guinness book of records," he said. I

ndonesia's railways are often plagued with rolling stock and maintenance problems.

View: Full Article | Source: The Australian