Jakarta – The number of road accidents during this year's Idul Fitri exodus, known as mudik, declined across the country compared to last year's figures, police said.

Nearly 1,300 accidents claimed hundreds of lives from June 19-26 during a nationwide security operation involving around 170,000 police officers to keep fatalities down. Still, accidents on the whole declined notably from last year, according to National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul.

"The number declined by 14 percent this year from around 1,500 in 2016," Martinus said in Jakarta on Tuesday (27/06).

On the other hand, fatalities numbered 292 this year, compared to 294 in 2016, though the number of travelers "severely injured" declined by 26 percent from 480 last year, according to police estimates.

East Java province recorded the highest number of accidents this year, while South Sulawesi saw the least.

As many as 11 people were killed and 90 others injured in 50 accidents in East Java during this year's mudik season, while two people were killed and 28 others injured in 15 accidents in South Sulawesi.

Around 20 million people joined this year's Idul Fitri exodus, with return traffic expected to peak between June 30 and July 2.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/accidents-fatalities-decline-in-this-years-idul-fitri-exodus-police/