Numerous fatalities mark Idul Fitri
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Kupang
Up to 20 people have been killed in separate accidents as some 17 million Muslims around the country spend their Idul Fitri holidays away from home.
At least five people died and 50 others were injured when a truck and a Taft car collided in Banyuglugur, Situbondo regency, East Java, on Tuesday afternoon.
"The truck was carrying dozens of people on their way home from a trip to Pasir Putih. They were from Paiton and Probolinggo," the Situbondu Police's traffic unit chief, Adj. Comr. Slamet Budiono, was quoted as saying by Antara.
He said the police had yet to identify the dead, but confirmed that three of them had been killed instantly while the other two had died on the way to hospital.
The injured are currently being treated at the Besuki and Situbondo hospitals, Slamet added.
"It was likely that the truck driver was trying to overtake the car in front of him," he explained.
The drivers of the two vehicles escaped with injuries. The vehicles were towed to the nearest police station for inspection.
Off Pamana island in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara, an overloaded boat sank on Monday afternoon, leaving at least three passengers dead and one missing.
Police said on Tuesday the motorized vessel was carrying 34 people traveling to celebrate Idul Fitri on Panama, which lies some 50 kilometers east of Maumere on Flores island.
Sikka Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bagus Wahyono said the boat's captain, Ismael, 30, has been named a suspect.
He will be charged under Article 359 of the Criminal Code on negligence leading to death. He could be jailed for five years if found guilty, Bagus added.
A similar accident took place in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, where a tourist boat sank while heading to Angso Dua island on Monday afternoon. One person is still missing, Antara reported.
Rescue teams said it was difficult to search for the missing victim due to heavy seas off the island.
An eyewitness said that the boat was carrying around 43 domestic tourists who were planning to celebrate Idul Fitri in Angso Dua, which is some five kilometers from Pariaman beach.
The boat, which had a capacity of only 20 people, sprung a leak only 20 minutes out to sea.
A few young boys tried to rescue themselves by jumping overboard and swimming toward the Angsa Duo beach, but one of them went missing.
In Bali, a 12-year-old girl died after being swept away by the current at Balawisata, Kuta, Badung regency, on Sunday afternoon.
The body of the girl, Renita, from Jember in East Java, was eventually found floating on Monday.
In Yogyakarta, two tourists drowned on Monday while swimming off Parangtritis beach. The victims, Murandi, 22, and Ahmadun, 37, were vacationing along with their 25 friends.
Ahmadun's body is still missing, while Murandi's body has been handed over to his family.
In South Sumatra, at least seven were killed and hundreds of others were injured in traffic accidents during the Idul Fitri exodus.
The South Sumatra branch of state life insurance firm, PT Jasa Raharja, said the death toll was based on the number of claims submitted by the families of the dead.