Twelve people have died during a massive three-day traffic
jam in Indonesia that stretched more than 20 kilometres (13 miles) and brought
thousands of holidaymakers to a complete standstill, an official said Friday.
The horror traffic at a major highway junction at Brebes, a
city on the main island of Java, was so bad that Indonesians dubbed the
disastrous toll gate “Brexit”, from the words “Brebes exit”.
Roads across the world’s most populous Muslim-majority
country are choked every year at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, as
millions head to villages to celebrate Eid, which fell on Wednesday.
But the chaos at the “Brexit” junction this year was
particularly acute in the three days before Eid, as tens of thousands of cars
crammed the arterial highway, transport ministry spokesman Hemi Pramuraharjo
told AFP.
“In terms of this Brexit case, there’s been a total of 12
victims over different days,” he said. The deaths occurred between July 3 and
July 5, not a single day as earlier reported, he said.
Pramuraharjo said several of the victims were elderly while
others died from fatigue and other health complications. Local media reported
that a one-year-old suffering from fume poisoning was also among the deceased.
More than 400 motorists had died on Indonesia’s roads so far
this holiday season, including those in the “Brexit” jam, Pramuraharjo said.
Accidents are not uncommon during the holiday odysseys,
particularly on the potholed roads of overcrowded Java, home to more than half
of Indonesia’s 255 million people.
At the “Brexit” snarl, frustrated motorists posted pictures
to social media showing cars snaked back for miles. Aerial shots captured a sea
of motionless vehicles, with some drivers seeking respite on the roadside.
Pramuraharjo said roadside vendors and crowded markets near
the junction compounded the chaos, leading to traffic snarls “more than 20
kilometres” in length.
“There is a bottleneck there, where there’s a petrol station
very nearby and many people queue,” he said.
“There’s no space on the road. We don’t have a solution.”
Responding to the controversy, the health ministry denied
earlier reports the “Brexit” victims died in a single day, and urged motorists
planning a long journey to rest and take all necessary precautions.
The ministry’s Achmad Yurianto said in a statement the heavy
use of air conditioning could also lead to an increase in carbon dioxide within
the cramped confines of the car.
-AFP
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