Search for Two Missing Children at Kuta Beach Called Off After Seven Days

The search for two children swept away by waves while playing football at Kuta Beach, Badung, was officially halted on Saturday (13/6/2026) at around 4.00 p.m. WITA. The joint SAR team had conducted the search for seven days. The termination was carried out in accordance with the time limit stipulated in Law Number 29 of 2014 on Search and Rescue. “Today we will stop the search with the deployment of joint elements. The search will continue with monitoring and cross-sectoral coordination regarding further developments,” said Juni Antara, Head of the Operations Section at the Denpasar Class A Search and Rescue Office, on Saturday (13/6/2026). During the seven days of search and rescue operations, he explained, the joint SAR team found no signs pointing to the discovery of the victims. “We have made every effort, from land, sea, and even air searches. However, as of this afternoon, the results remain nil,” he added. On the final day of the search, the joint SAR team deployed three SAR assets, including a rubber boat, jet skis, and one Bell 412 helicopter belonging to SGi. The search area covered by the rubber boat reached 3.31 NM², whilst the Balawista jet skis covered 3.16 NM². To reach a wider area, the team deployed the SGi helicopter, which covered a search area of 8.21 NM². The joint team also requested assistance from fishermen and the local community, but the search yielded nothing by the afternoon. “We hope that fishing groups and the public will find the victims’ whereabouts and immediately report to Basarnas to continue the evacuation process,” he said. Although the search operation has officially been halted, Juni stressed that SAR operations can be reopened if clues, evidence, or accurate information regarding the victims’ location are found. Previously, two children named Airlangga Andrianto (13) and Noval Aditya Saputra (8) were reported to have been swept away by currents whilst playing football at Kuta Beach on Sunday (7/6/2026) at around 6.05 p.m. WITA. During the search process, the families of both victims waited for developments in the SAR operation around Kuta Beach. Noval’s grandfather, Ramli (52), previously revealed that his grandson had gone to play at the beach without the family’s knowledge.