Tebing Tinggi, N. Sumatra. Nine people were killed after a passenger car was struck by a train at an unguarded railway crossing in Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra, on Wednesday evening, police said.

The fatal collision occurred at around 6:30 p.m. Jakarta time on Jalan Abdul Hamid in Padang Hilir district, when a Toyota Avanza minibus carrying nine people was hit by the Sri Bilah Utama train traveling from Rantau Prapat to Medan. The crossing was not equipped with automatic barriers, authorities said.

All nine occupants of the vehicle, including adults, elderly passengers, and children, died as a result of the crash. The impact dragged the car nearly 300 meters from the point of collision, according to witnesses.

A local resident, Imam, 35, said people nearby had tried to warn the driver that a train was approaching, but the warning was apparently not heard before the collision occurred.

Traffic police from the North Sumatra Regional Police visited the scene late Wednesday night to examine the site. 

Speaking at Bhayangkara Police Hospital, North Sumatra Traffic Police Director Firman Darmansyah expressed condolences to the victims’ families and urged the public to exercise greater caution when crossing railway lines, particularly those without safety barriers.

“Railway crossings without gates require extra vigilance. We appeal to motorists to stop, look and listen before crossing to prevent similar tragedies,” he said.

Police said the driver, identified as Abdul Kadir Al Jaelani, 42, a resident of Medan Marelan, was taken to the hospital in critical condition but later died. The other eight passengers were pronounced dead at the scene.

Those killed included Rizal, 59; Daratul Laila, 50; Risnawati, 57; Asrah, believed to be around 80; Sri Devi, 41; and two children, Muhammad Hafiz, 4, and Muhammad Rafka Attaqih, 6. All victims were from areas in Deli Serdang regency and Medan city, police said.

The hospital was filled with grief in the early hours of Thursday as families gathered to await confirmation of the victims’ identities. The bodies were released to relatives at around 1:30 a.m. and transported to their respective homes using nine ambulances, with destinations including Medan Marelan and Tanjung Morawa.

A relative, Mahyuni, said the victims had been returning from a family event in Batu Bara regency and were planning to visit relatives in Tebing Tinggi.

“We hoped the news wasn’t true, but it turned out to be them,” she said, holding back tears.