BREBES, Indonesia, (APP/AFP) – 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 Ramzan, 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.
International News
12 die in giant Indonesian traffic jam: official
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