Two boys drown in TIM pond

JAKARTA (JP): Two boys drowned in an eight-meter-deep muddy pond at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts center in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Witnesses said Yakub Fimansyah and Asep, both 11, together with some of their year six primary school colleagues went for a midday swim in the pond, a hole at the former site of the Open Theater, on their way home from school.

A few minutes later the other boys panicked, hastily got out of the pond and looked for help after failing to see their two friends on the surface.

Their screams attracted nearby residents, who then rushed to the scene. Some of them jumped into the muddy water but failed to find the two bodies immediately.

An hour later they found Yakub's body, covered in mud at the bottom of the pond. Thirty minutes after that, the residents found Asep's body.

Koko, one of the residents who took part in the rescue, was quoted by Antara as saying that Yakub was still breathing when his body was brought up to the surface.

The boy was believed to have died on the way to Cikini hospital, which is about 300 meters away. (bsr)