Three die, five missing in Tegal and Cirebon drowning tragedies

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.