Accidents kill over 300 during Eid holiday travel in Indonesia

Sep 23, 2009, 8:33 GMT

   Jakarta - At least 312 people have been killed in road accidents as millions of Indonesians travelled to their home towns to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, police said Wednesday.

   The accidents happened throughout the country between September 13 and 22 and mostly involved motorcycles, national police spokesman Ketut Yoga Ana said.

   This year's Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, was celebrated on September 20 in Indonesia.

   More than 27 million people travelled during the holiday season to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in their home towns, officials said.

   'We have done our best by deploying more than 120,000 police but the only way accidents can be prevented is to stop people from travelling,' he said.

   More accidents are bound to happen as revellers began flocking back to major cities this week.

   More than 600 people were killed in accidents during last year's holiday season.

   About 65 per cent of the home-bound travellers use motorcycles as a cheap means of transport, Yoga Ana said.

   Travellers using motorcycles often carry three passengers, including children, despite a rule banning them from carrying more than one person on the back.