diff -urN glibc-2.2.5.orig/locale/programs/ld-collate.c glibc-2.2.5/locale/programs/ld-collate.c
--- glibc-2.2.5.orig/locale/programs/ld-collate.c	Sat Feb  9 17:19:15 2002
+++ glibc-2.2.5/locale/programs/ld-collate.c	Sun Feb 10 20:21:46 2002
@@ -1791,7 +1791,12 @@
   sect = collate->sections;
   while (sect != NULL && sect->rules == NULL)
     sect = sect->next;
-  assert (sect != NULL);
+  /* sections confused by earlier errors 
+   */  
+  if (sect == NULL) { 
+    error (EXIT_FAILURE, 0, _("Too many errors; giving up"));
+    return;
+  }
   ruleidx = 0;
   do
     {
@@ -3470,8 +3475,17 @@
 	    }
 	  else
 	    {
-	      symstr = arg->val.str.startmb;
-	      symlen = arg->val.str.lenmb;
+              if (arg) 
+                { 
+	          symstr = arg->val.str.startmb;
+	          symlen = arg->val.str.lenmb;
+                }
+              else
+	        { 
+                  lr_error (ldfile, _("%s: bad symbol <%s"), "LC_COLLATE",
+				      ldfile->token.val.str.startmb);
+	          break;
+                }
 	    }
 
 	  if (state == 0)