Accidents mar annual exodus, claim eight lives

JAKARTA (JP): The annual exodus of people heading to their hometowns for next week's Idul Fitri and Christmas holidays was marked on Friday by at least two automobile accidents on the northern coast highway with at least eight people killed.

In the accident at Bendungan village in Astanajapura district, Cirebon, West Java, a bus loaded with passengers collided with a rice-carrying truck and killed four people including the bus driver, his assistant, the truck driver and his assistant.

Ten passengers from the bus were badly injured from the accident which occurred a few minutes after midnight. All of the victims were rushed to the Gunung Jati hospital in Cirebon.

A few minutes later in Batanghari village, Pamanukan district, in Subang also in West Java, a truck was trying to overtake a vehicle in front of it but later collided with a minivan traveling from the opposite direction.

Four people died from the accident while seven others were injured.

A number of fatal road accidents always occur during the annual exodus.

In the last two days, Ministry of Transportation offices across the country have reported that this year's annual exodus, which began a few days ago, has already cost the lives of at least 38 people who died from several accidents, according to detik.com.

On Wednesday, 15 accidents were recorded with 11 people killed. On the following day, 28 other accidents reported, claiming the lives of 19 travelers.

In Sirna Raga public graveyard in Bandung, Kompas daily reported on Friday that grave diggers were told to prepare dozens of graves to anticipate possible road accidents.

Last year at the graveyard, 35 graves had been prepared and at the end of the holiday season, all of the holes were occupied.

Meanwhile, the number of people heading home for holidays started to rise significantly on Friday.

Lines of cars, kilometers long, mostly heading to Central Java and East Java, were seen moving slowly on the streets in Cikopo, West Java, mostly heading east on Cikampek toll road, West Java.

The number of cars and buses using the toll road on Friday was recorded as the highest in the last five days with some 2,000 vehicles entering the road from Cikopo.

To anticipate the high number of vehicles using the Cikopo tollroad gates heading to their destinations in Central Java and East Java, toll road company Jasa Marga opened all the gates for vehicles heading to Central Java and East Java.

The northern coastal route between Brebes and Batang, is the major road used by the exodus and is about 163.9 kilometers long. It's prone to street congestion since there are many road and bridge constructions along the route.

Street congestion may also occur along Jl. Raya Sayung in Demak due to similar road constructions.

Many travelers were complaining about the conditions saying that local government had failed to plan the timing of the road works adequately.

In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, the number of people leaving the city to their hometowns started to rise as could be seen at the Kilometer Enam bus station

Head of the provincial Land Transportation and Traffic Control Office (DLLAJ) Helmi Indra Sangun said that this year's annual exodus would reach its peak on Saturday and Sunday which was predicted to increase by 5 percent from last year's figure.

Helmi said that 5,531 buses had been prepared to transport some 2.4 million people predicted to leave the city for their hometowns to celebrate holidays with their families.

However in several areas on Friday, the number of people taking part in this year's annual exodus was still low.

In Bandung, West Java, the number of train passengers heading to their hometowns mostly to Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java, were still normal as no long queues could be seen in front of ticket boxes at Bandung train station.

Head of state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api (PT KA)'s Bandung office Masduki Achmad told Antara that the number of people taking trains five days before the Idul Fitri holiday this year was 35,707, a decrease of 72 percent from last year's figure of 49,338.

Also in Bandung, some 1.260 people who came from 630 families employed at cigarette retailers left the city using 26 buses provided by cigarette company PT HM Sampoerna.

The departure of the cigarette sellers and their families heading mostly to Garut, Ciamis, and Cilacap in West Java, Yogyakarta, Purwokerto, Kebumen and Solo was attended by the city's mayor Aa Tarmana.

In Surabaya, East Java, many empty seats could still be found on trains at the city's train station.

Head of PT KA's Surabaya public relations department Sudarsono said that 56 percent of train seats had not been used by passengers.

"Only 35 percent of the executive class train seats for the destinations of Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung (West Java) have been sold, 57 percent for business class and 40 percent for economy class," Sudarsono said.

However, Sudarsono said, the number of people leaving the city for their hometowns for this holiday season was to reach its peak on Saturday and Sunday. (jaw)