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.