Moments as flash flood sweeps four residents in Buleleng
Flash floods swept through Banjar Village, Banjar District, Buleleng Regency, Bali, on Friday night. Heavy rain since 18:15 WITA caused the waters to surge unexpectedly, sweeping away four residents.
The deceased was identified as Dewa Ketut Adi Suarjana (55), a resident of Santal Hamlet. He was swept away as he tried to rescue his car parked in front of his house. The head of Santal Hamlet, Ketut Sudiadika, said that the water level was still relatively small at the time he attempted to move the vehicle, but conditions changed within minutes.
‘When the victim got into the car to move his vehicle, the flood suddenly rose and carried him and the car away,’ Sudiadika said on Saturday (7/3/2026).
Adi briefly left the car and tried to seek safety. He tried to cling to a coffee tree near the scene. But the forceful current, dragging a large tree trunk, knocked him over and swept him away.
Bystanders tried to help but could not approach due to the strong current.
After the water began to recede around 23:00 WITA, residents joined the search along Pangkung Santal. The victim was found about 800 metres from the initial location, his body lodged in bamboo scrub, already lifeless.
‘During the search I saw the victim’s head first caught in the bamboo; the body was covered in mud and debris,’ said Nyoman Putra Arjaya, who found the body.
The body was brought to RSU Pratama Seririt for external examination, then to be taken to the home of the family in Desa Tanguwisia for burial.
In addition to the Santal victim, the flood also swept away three residents in Dusun Ambengan, Banjar Village: Komang Suci (44) and his two children Putu Wini (17) and Kadek Wahyu (12).
The Banjar Village Chief, Ida Bagus Dedy Suyasa, said that when the flood arrived, Putu Wini recorded the rising water on his phone. Suci and Wahyu were in their home’s bedroom, while Kadek Witana was outside. The floodwaters from the Mendaum River, with mud and large logs, then hit their home, causing the western wall to collapse and sweeping them away.
‘At that time the victims were recording the flood on their phones, but suddenly the flood came and struck the house, sweeping the three away,’ said Dedy.
In addition to the loss of life, the flash flood damaged dozens of homes in Banjar. The village government is still collecting data to confirm the extent of damage and losses.
Earlier reports indicated four residents of Banjar were swept away by the flood on Friday night. One victim has been found dead, while the other three are still being searched by the joint SAR team.