1 dead as Indonesian train derails

A crowded Indonesian passenger train jumped its tracks and skidded into a rice field Saturday, killing a baby and injuring nearly two dozen other people, a railway official said.

One of the victims was pinned beneath the train and in critical condition.

"We are still evacuating the crashed train," said Suprapto, a spokesman for the state-run railway company, who goes by only one name.

The train carrying 400 people was heading to the Central Java city of Semarang when it derailed in nearby Tegal, 185 miles east of the capital Jakarta, at 3:15 a.m. local time, he said. The cause is being investigated.

An 8-month-old child died after being ripped from his mother's arms and at least 23 other people were hurt, including a man pinned beneath a carriage with severe broken bones, Suprapto said.

Most of the other injuries did not appear to be serious, he said.

Indonesia has been hit by a string of deadly transportation disasters in recent months, including plane crashes, ferry sinkings and train accidents that together killed more than 500 people.