Jakarta (ANTARA News) - At least 144 people, most of them homeward travelers, were killed in road accidents across the country until two days ahead of the Idul Fitri festivities, police said.

"The total number of traffic accidents is 743 until D-2 with 144 people killed, 198 seriously injured and 381 lightly injured," Insp. Gen. Soenarko, deputy for operations to the national police chief, said here on Thursday.

Nearly 75 percent of the traffic accidents involved motorcyclists with most of the accidents occurring between 09.00 a.m and 03.00 p.m., he said.

"Most of the accidents occurred on Java`s northern coastal road and alternative roads," he said.

Last year, 702 people were killed, 859 seriously injured and 1,697 lightly injured in 1,646 road accidents a few days before and after Idul Fitri festivities.

Soenarko said police also recorded a total of 1,458 criminal offenses until two days prior to the festivities, including 318 ordinary thefts, 76 thefts with pointed weapons, 6 armed thefts, and 210 motorcycle thefts.

"We keep monitoring developments all the time," he said.

The government estimates the number of travellers to celebrate Idul Fitri festivities in their hometowns this year will reach 15.5 million.

"Most of the homeward travellers come from Java but the number of homeward travellers from Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan is also quite large," Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi said after inspecting the Merak ferry port in Banten province on Wednesday. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli
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