City stirs again as residents return
City stirs again as residents return
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As government offices and private companies are set to resume
work on Monday after the long Idul Fitri holiday, thousands of
travelers returned to the capital on Saturday, marking the
beginning of the influx which is expected to peak on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a string of accidents took place in the day in many
cities nationwide.
Train delays caused a commotion at Senen railway station,
Central Jakarta, with passengers trying to disembark, while
passengers on the station who had been waiting for five hours
tried to board the Gaya Baru Malam train traveling between
Jakarta and Surabaya.
The station's deputy head, Supranoto, said 10 additional
trains had been prepared to anticipate the influx of travelers,
but only six were in operation. He did not elaborate.
Based on the tickets collected from arriving passengers, the
arriving passengers on Saturday reached up to 10,963 people as of
2 p.m.
"The real number could be more, because not all passengers
handed their tickets to the guards at the exit," a staff member
said.
Although the number of arrivals surpassed that of regular
days, it was less than half of last year's figure.
"I used to get a better income during these special days in
previous years," said Kusno, a porter at Senen station.
Jatinegara railway station, East Jakarta, saw the arrival of
20,000 passengers and thousands more new outbound passengers who
opted to take their holidays after the peak season, keeping the
special railway policemen busy.
Gambir station in Central Jakarta was also packed with anxious
travelers due to the delay in the arrival of incoming trains.
According to Zainal Abidin, spokesman of state-run railway
operator PT KAI, the high frequency of trips and the additional
cars to carry the massive number of passengers were the main
reasons for the delays.
Separately Syahrizul, head of the Pulo Gadung intercity bus
terminal in East Jakarta, said that as of Saturday afternoon, the
number of arriving passengers was over 11,000, and more were
expected to arrive at night.
"We expect about 50,000 to 60,000 passengers to arrive
tonight," he told The Jakarta Post.
According to Syahrizul, the station would provide special
transportation to drop home late arrivals.
Meanwhile, in Semarang, a mother and her two children were
killed in a road accident in Tengaran district, Semarang regency.
Sukiran, 43, a resident of West Semarang district, was riding
a motorcycle with his wife Katiyem, 43, and their two children:
Fitri Rochmatun, 9, and Umi Kristi, 3, from Surakarta heading to
Salatiga.
The motorcycle reportedly skidded, causing all four family
members to fall off. Sukiran fell on the side of the road, while
a passing bus hit and killed his wife and children.
In Batang regency in Central Java, a Coyo Bus traveling
between Semarang and Cirebon caught fire, but no fatalities were
reported. The fire was apparently caused by an engine problem.
In Kediri regency in East Java, a Sri Lestari bus crashed into
a motorcycle on Jl. Gampingrejo and killed the riders of the
motorcycle. The victims have not yet been identified.
Another road accident took place in Tegal regency in Central
Java, when a bus collided into a sedan on Jl. Damyak, claiming
two lives among the car's passengers.
The victims are Rokijan, 40 and Sayat, 43, both residents of
Dukuh Turi district in Tegal. Three other passengers were badly
injured, they are: Iin Solikhin, Wasrip and Rosidin, who were
admitted to Texin Islamic Hospital in Tegal.
Separately, four holidaymakers were killed after they were
dragged out to sea at Pangandaran Beach in Ciamis regency in West
Java.
The accident took place on Friday afternoon when the four were
swimming with their friends.
The four victims were Sopandi, 30, Sumarni, 18, Deden, 12 and
Komarudin, 20, all residents of Bandung regency.
As of Saturday, the body of Komarudin was not yet found.