Kadek Witana's Tears Break as Wife and Two Children Go Missing in Flash Flood
Kadek Witana’s knees could no longer support his body as he knelt on the ground, still damp with mud from the flash flood in Banjar village, Banjar District, Buleleng Regency, Bali. His two hands covered his face tightly. His cries broke out amid a crowd of residents who were still scrabbling to locate the victims. At times his body trembled as he fought back the grief that arrived so suddenly.
The flash flood that struck the area on Friday night (6 March 2026) had robbed the most precious people in his life. His wife, Komang Suci (44), and their two children, Putu Wini (17) and Kadek Wahyu (12), were swept away by the strong current and have not yet been found.
Around Kadek Witana, residents, volunteers, and the Buleleng Regent could only watch in sorrow. Some looked on with pity, while others lowered their heads. The atmosphere at the scene fell silent. Not many words were spoken, as if everyone had become immersed in the grief felt by the man.
One Family Becomes a Victim
Kadek Witana’s family was among the most affected by the incident. Three members of his family were reported missing after being swept away by the flood.
Nyoman Mudra, a member of the victims’ family, said that in the incident one family had been affected. “Three people are missing—the wife and his two children,” Mudra said at the scene on Saturday (7 March 2026).
To date, the search and rescue (SAR) team along with residents are continuing the search for the three victims swept away by the flood. Kadek Witana chose to stay on site, awaiting news of the search for his family.
Earlier reports stated that the flash flood in Banjar village, Banjar District, Buleleng Regency, swept four residents away on Friday night. The coordinator of the Buleleng SAR Post, Kadek Donny Indrawan, said the rescuers moved to the location after receiving reports of those swept away by the flood current.
“The Rescue and Search Post Buleleng team moved at 22:30 WITA with six personnel, using a personnel carrier truck and bringing a rubber boat and water SAR equipment,” Donny said. Around 23:10 WITA, the joint SAR team found one victim in the river flow in the Banjar Dinas Santal area. The victim, named Dewa Ketut Adi Suarjaya (55), was found dead. His body was then evacuated to the funeral home in Banjar Dinas Santal, Banjar Village, Buleleng. Meanwhile, the other three victims, including Kadek Witana’s wife and two children, are still being searched.