Three die, five missing in Tegal and Cirebon drowning tragedies

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Tegal, Central Java

Eleven people were swept away by flood-swollen rivers in two separate locations; seven in Tegal regency, Central Java, and four others in Cirebon, West Java.

Three deaths have been confirmed while seven people are still missing. So far, only two of those involved have been confirmed safe.

In the first tragedy, seven people were swept away by the swollen Ketiwon river in Tegal at around 6 p.m on Sunday.

The river had burst its banks following torrential rain.

A young boy was confirmed dead in the incident, while four people are still missing. A search is currently been carried out by rescuers and local authority workers.

Two people are confirmed to have survived the incident -- Jupri, 55 and Sarko, 35, both residents of Dampyak village in Kramat subdistrict, Tegal.

The dead boy was named as Nur Wahidin, 12, while the four missing victims are Adi Chandra, 15, Nurorim, 9, Dwi, 15 and Deni, 30.

Eye witnesses said the tragedy happened as the victims returned on their fishing boats from an aborted crab-hunting trip. They had set off from a jetty on the Ketiwon river at around 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Due to the rough seas, they later became seasick and decided to return home.

By 6 p.m., the victims were back at the mouth of the river.

"The moment they entered the mouth of the Ketiwon river, a torrent suddenly rushed down the river and capsized their boat. They were all thrown into the river," said Suwarto, a fisherman who witnessed the accident.

Local fishermen and residents immediately started to search for the victims but found only seven of them, including the body of the deceased.

"Four others are still missing and the efforts to find them are continuing," said Suwarto, who was also participating in the search.

Tegal Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Moch Iriawan said he had sent officers to help search for the missing persons.

In a similar accident, four young people were swept away by the Cirongkop river, Cirebon, early on Saturday. Two of them -- brothers Wawan, 16, and Anton, 12 -- were later found dead.

Another victim, Dadan, 9, is missing. Meanwhile, Andi, 14, survived although he was swept 200 meters down the river.

All four hail from Kondangsari village in Beber subdistrict, Cirebon.

Cirebon Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Muktiono said on Monday that the two dead children were found on Sunday afternoon.

"We're still searching for the missing victim with local villagers," he said.

He said the four children were crossing the river to go fishing on the opposite bank. When they were in the middle, a torrent swept down the river and carried them away.

"The flood came so suddenly that it took us by surprise. The four of us didn't have a change," survivor Andi recalled.

He said he had only survived due to the fact that he had got snagged by tree roots at the side of the river, about 200 meters away from the place they had been when the torrent struck.

"I then went home and told my parents what happened. They got the neighbors and the police out to search for my friends," said Andi.