Hike in number of people returning from holidays<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As the Christmas and Idul Fitri holidays are
\nover, people returning from their hometowns began to increase on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
An officer at Bakauheni port in Lampung estimated that at
\nleast 20,000 people were crossing the Sunda Strait on ferries for
\nMerak in Banten province in the western tip of Java on Friday.
\nThe figure is twice that of the previous day.<\/p>\n
Hordes of people also packed the Rajabasa bus terminal in
\ndowntown Lampung. They had been queuing for tickets since early
\nFriday morning, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
A similar scene was also reported at Lampung's other terminal
\nof Panjang.<\/p>\n
Although there is a jump in travelers at the Merak harbor, the
\ntraffic between the port and its nearest major town of Cilegon
\nwas not congested.<\/p>\n
There was also a hike in the number of people in Yogyakarta's
\nmain bus terminal of Umbulharjo.<\/p>\n
Traffic congestions was reported in the main roads connecting
\nYogyakarta and towns in the neighboring province of Central Java.<\/p>\n
People also flocked the Wonosari bus terminal, southeast of
\nYogyakarta, on Friday. A terminal official, Hartoyo, said 10
\nbuses would be operating everyday in the coming week. Reserve
\nbuses are also in place in case there is a sharp increase in
\ntravelers.<\/p>\n
Hartoyo said most of the bus tickets for seats from Jan. 1 to
\nJan. 5 had been sold days before Idul Fitri on Dec. 27.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Cirebon, West Java, hundreds of people had to
\nqueue to buy tickets without seats for trains bound for Jakarta.
\nThere is suspicion that the train tickets have been sold to
\nscalpers, who charge between Rp 25,000 and Rp 30,000 for a ticket
\nwhich normally costs Rp 18,000.<\/p>\n
Despite the rising number of travelers, there were no
\nsignificant increase in crime.<\/p>\n
An officer at Surabaya's main bus terminal of Purabaya claimed
\nthere were no thefts since the holidays.<\/p>\n
\"We received several reports of pickpocketing but they took
\nplace outside the terminal,\" the terminal head M. Subandi said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
Accidents<\/p>\n
Twenty people died in separate road accidents while five
\nothers were killed in firecracker explosions during the two-day
\nIdul Fitri holiday in Central Java.<\/p>\n
The provincial police spokesman, Supt. M. Ramlie, said on
\nFriday that the traffic accidents occurred in Brebes, Tegal and
\nPurworejo regencies.<\/p>\n
A mother and her four children died instantly when their
\nvehicle plunged into a river in the Brebes village of Pejagan on
\nWednesday night. They were from Jakarta en route to Cilacap,
\nCentral Java.<\/p>\n
At almost the same time, five people died when their car hit a
\ntree in Jembayat village, Tegal.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, a bus collided with a minivan in Purworejo,
\nclaiming 10 lives.<\/p>\n
In West Java, a speeding truck carrying dozens of people
\nskidded into a ravine in Puspa area, killing a man identified as
\nSukarna.<\/p>\n
Another truck full of people overturned near the Tangkuban
\nPerahu tourist spot.<\/p>\n
Antara quoted Cagak Police subprecinct officer Pvt. Gustono on
\nFriday as saying that the driver of the truck lost control of the
\nvehicle because of brake failure.<\/p>\n
Gustono added that several passengers, mostly teenagers,
\nmanaged to jump off the truck before it overturned, while some 15
\npassengers, who remained in the truck, suffered minor injuries
\nand were rushed to a nearby community health center.<\/p>\n
Firecrackers caused the death of five people in three separate
\nblasts in the Central Java town of Kebumen.<\/p>\n
The first explosion killed two traders who were riding a
\nmotorbike carrying dozens of firecrackers in Mrinen village,
\nKotawinagun district. A father was killed, while his wife and
\nchild were injured, when a heap of firecrackers they had been
\nkeeping at their home in Kebumen exploded. Two others died after
\nthe firecrackers they had been storing exploded.<\/p>\n
The police warning of the danger of firecrackers has gone
\nunheeded in East Java, leaving two people dead and 72 others
\ninjured during the fasting month until the first day of Idul
\nFitri on Dec. 27.<\/p>\n
Data gathered by the provincial police on Thursday revealed
\nthat of the injury list, 17 were wounded during Takbiran, or on
\nthe mass parades on the eve of the Muslim holiday. One of the
\nvictims had an arm amputated and another lost an eye.
\n(har\/nur\/lup\/jun)<\/p>",
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