Missing victim of overturned boat on the Indragiri River found dead

A combined search and rescue (SAR) team has found the body of Ardi Yahya, 34, who had been reported missing after a boat capsized on the Indragiri River in Inhu Regency, Riau, on Sunday 17 May. The body was discovered around 12:30 local time on Tuesday 19 May, more than ten kilometres from the incident site, in Alang Kepayang village, Rengat Barat District, Inhu. The corpse was found tangled on a branch along the Indragiri Riverbank and was recovered by local residents who notified authorities. He was transported to RSUD Indrasari Rengat for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.

Earlier, Basarnas Pekanbaru had received information about a boat accident involving a capsized craft on the Indragiri River in Pasir Sialang Jaya, Inhu, with one person missing. The incident occurred around 12:30 WIB at coordinates 0°22’45”S 102°20’47”E, on Sunday 17 May. According to reports, Ardi Yahya, 34, a Non-Bank Employee of Pemodalan Nasional Madani (PNM), together with two colleagues, Irawan, 25, and M Yasin, 53, were surveying the site to verify a Saharudin, 53, of Pasir Sialang Jaya for a loan application, using a small boat in the middle of the Indragiri River. When at the scene, the boat lost balance and capsized. Two people survived, while Ardi Yahya was declared missing and was subsequently found deceased.

The Indragiri River had been running high with a strong current in recent days. However, on Tuesday 19 May, the river’s water level fell by 12 centimetres from the previous day, from 5.30 m to 5.18 m.