150 knocked down in stampede

150 knocked down in stampede

SERANG, West Java: About 150 people were knocked unconscious as thousands of Idul Fitri holidaymakers jostled to buy tickets for ferries leaving for Sumatra yesterday.

Antara reported that the Merak quay was filled with hysterical screams as the crowd forced its way towards the counters.

Many of the victims failed to get medical treatment from the emergency health center set up in the port.

In a separate incident, at the port of Bakauheni, Lampung, 23 passengers of a ferry from Merak were rushed to hospital after they inhaled toxic fumes from the ferry's exhaust pipes.

Antara said two of the victims were in a critical condition and undergoing treatment at Kalianda Hospital, about 30 kilometers from the port. (pan)