River overflows in Cirebon, two women swept away

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon, West Java

The Cipager River, Sumber district, overflowed on Wednesday afternoon, sweeping away two women, one of whom survived, while the other was still missing as of Thursday afternoon.

Dozens of people from a police and residents' search and rescue team (SAR) were still seeking the missing woman as of Thursday afternoon.

The woman saved in the incident was Ipah, 18, from Sumber district. The SAR team is now focusing its search on Isah, 17, another victim, in the estuary of the Cipager River in Jatimerta subdistrict, some 15 kilometers north of Sumber district, a spot where Isah and Ipah were initially swept away by the strong current.

The river overflowed following torrential rain that had pounded Sumber district since Tuesday.

"I suspect that Isah has drowned," said Adj. Second. Insp. Andun Wiranta, who led the SAR team. Andun said that the team would continue to search for her until she was found.

The incident began as Isah and Ipah washed clothes on the edge of the Cipager River close to their neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon. The weather was cloudy, a day after torrential rain had pounded the area.

"It was drizzling as the two women did their washing. Suddenly the river overflowed and the strong current swept them away," said Abdullah, a local resident and an eyewitness to the incident.

Ipah was able to save herself by holding on to the roots of a tree growing at the edge of the river, but it was a different story for Isah.

She was quickly swept away by the strong current into the middle of the 10-meter-wide river, and was unable to grab anything to prevent herself from being dragged away by the strong current.

Abdullah quickly ran toward Ipah, who was holding on to the tree root. He later shouted to attract the attention of local residents to help him. "They immediately flocked to the scene and helped me to save Ipah," he said. Several residents reported the incident to Cirebon Police, while others took the initiative to search for Isah.

"After receiving reports from the local residents, I gathered my subordinates and began to search for Isah," said Andun.

Flash floods often occur in Cirebon and its surrounding area, and have often claimed lives. Deforestation, caused by illegal logging, has often been blamed as a cause of the floods.

The government is carrying out reforestation in some forests in West Java, but it takes time before the forest can establish itself and serve as a water catchment for downstream regions that are susceptible to flooding.

The most recent flash flood to hit the country occurred in Bahorok, North Sumatra, last year.

The flood killed at least 157 people, including six foreign tourists, while 82 others went missing. At least 400 homes, 35 hotels and tens of hectares of farmland were destroyed.