Flood of people not all sailing after Idul Fitri
The Jakarta Post, Cirebon/Yogyakarta/Surabaya
People began to pour into bus terminals, seaports and train stations around the country to return to the country's cities after celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns.
However, a string of accidents sent a strong reminder to travelers that such journeys could be fraught with danger and delays.
In the South Sumatra capital Palembang, thousands of people arrived at Kertapati train station from other towns in the province, including Tanjung Karang and Lubuk Linggau.
Prior to Idul Fitri last Tuesday and Wednesday about 3,000 passengers used the station, most heading home to celebrate with families. On Idul Fitri itself, the number of people dropped to 1,700 people per day but the number had since began to rise. Thursday saw 2,448 passengers but numbers are expected to peak Sunday.
Most flights from the Southeast Sulawesi capital of Kendari to Makassar, Surabaya and Jakarta are fully booked from Friday to Sunday and were expected to sell out.
In the East Java capital Surabaya, more people arrived at Ujung Seaport in Surabaya. They mostly came from the neighboring island of Madura. In contrast, few people were seen heading in the opposite direction on Friday.
Several passengers heading to Surabaya acknowledged they had cut short their holidays to get to Surabaya early for fear they would not make it home when the crowds peaked over the weekend.
"It is much more convenient to go to Surabaya right now than on Saturday or Sunday," said Nur Alila, as quoted by the Antara news agency.
In the Central Kalimantan regency of Sampit, thousands of people began to stream into Patih Rumbih bus terminal. Bus companies were unable to accommodate them on their way to Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan.
It forced local government officials to provide additional transportation to accommodate the travelers, including several trucks, minibuses and minivans. The trips were not free.
In separate developments, two people were killed and six others injured on Friday when a Toyota Kijang minivan rolled after its tire burst on the Kalipanci toll road in the West Java regency of Cirebon.
The dead were driver Satkimin, 44, a resident of Tangerang regency and Suherni, 70, a resident of Central Lampung.
As of Friday at least 30 people had been killed in 24 road accidents from Nov. 17 in West Java alone, West Java police said.
Nearly 20 others had been badly injured and another 42 injured.
Meanwhile, the Gaya Baru train, on its way from Jakarta to Surabaya derailed in Cirebon district early Friday morning. No casualties were reported.
The derailment in Bantarsari village caused six hour delays to a number of other train services.