Father and Son Swept Away by Cold Lahar Flow of Mount Semeru While on Their Way to School

Father and Son Swept Away by Cold Lahar Flow of Mount Semeru While on Their Way to School

A viral video shows the moment Vita, a fourth-grade primary school student, and her father, Anton, were swept away by a cold lahar flow from Mount Semeru in the Regoyo River, Jugosari Village, Candipuro District, Lumajang, East Java, as they were heading to school.

The incident began when Anton was taking his daughter to school, crossing the Regoyo River on a motorbike. However, the strong current of the flood swept the motorbike they were riding away. Anton and his daughter were also swept away by the lahar flow.

The girl called for help, and eventually, residents who witnessed the incident managed to evacuate the father and son.

The Regoyo River has become a crossing point for residents after the bridge in the village was buried by the lahar flow from Mount Semeru.

“It was just bad luck; they didn’t stop and kept crossing. The daughter was swept away about 5 metres,” said one of the residents, Abdul Rohim, as quoted by detikcom on Monday (23 February).

As a result of the incident, Vita could not attend school on the first day after the long break before the start of the Ramadan fast in 2026. Her clothes and all her school supplies were soaked, so she had to return home.

“The student could not continue to school because her uniform and school supplies were wet and soaked in floodwater,” Rohim concluded.

Read the full story here.

(team/dal) [Image: CNN Video]