Seven feared dead in Kebumen beach tragedy

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Kebumen

Two domestic tourists were drowned and five others were still missing after they were swept away by a large wave at South Beach, Logending in the Central Java town of Kebumen on Tuesday, a rescue team said on Wednesday.

Two of the seven victims, identified as Fitra and Eno Hidayat, were found on Tuesday. One of the bodies was found five kilometers from the accident scene.

Police, military personnel and local fishermen were yet to find the other five people who were feared dead, head of the Wijayakusuma search and rescue team Atas Munandar said.

The recovered bodies had been handed over to their families in Purwokerto for burial, he said.

He said cloud had hampered the search. "But, we will go ahead with the search until they are all found."

The seven victims were visiting tourists from Karanglewas subdistrict in Purwokerto and the neighboring town of Klaten.

Kebumen Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Prasta Wahyu Hidayat said the missing people were among thousands of tourists attracted to South Beach for the New Year's Day holiday.

At around 3:00 p.m. the tourists, taking a swim, were struck by the huge wave, he said.

Hidayat said South Beach, particularly in the Logending area, had claimed several lives in similar circumstances. The deaths were often blamed on the victims' lack of alertness for the large waves that occasionally washed ashore.

Three months ago members of a family from Purwokerto were drowned by a rouge wave in Logending, Hidayat said.

The search and rescue team criticized the Kebumen administration for allowing such frequent incidents to happen.

The local government, particularly the local tourism office, should have taken steps to prevent further drownings, Munandar said.

"We regret this extremely. Knowing that the beach attracts many visitors, the local government should have provided security personnel to stand guard to monitor the situation there. They must be prepared to help if there are any incidents," he said.

He questioned the absence of lifeguards at the beach, which attracted hundreds or tourists almost every day.