SAR Team Still Looking For A Child Who Drowned On Sayang Heulang Beach, Garut

JAKARTA - The joint Searchand Rescue (SAR) team is searching for tourists who are 11 years old who went missing while swimming at Sayang Heulang Beach, Garut Regency, West Java, Wednesday.

Head of the Garut Police and Air Unit (Satpolairud) Iptu Aep Saprudin said the victim named Muhammad Ridwan Hafidwarga Paseh, Bandung Regency, West Java was reported missing while swimming at Sayang Beach Heulang, Pameungpeuk District.

"The victim was carried away by the ocean currents and has not been found," he said.

He said the incident began when the victim and his family traveled to Sayang Heulang Beach, Garut to fill the Eid holiday time.

The victim then swam with two people from his family's group around Curugan Sayang Heulang, but when he was in the middle of the ocean suddenly the victim drowned, allegedly slipping into the sea trough.

"Not long after, he slipped into the sea trough area and was dragged by the ocean currents causing him to sink," he said, quoted by Antara.

Aep said that the victim's brother who saw the incident panicked and asked for help from the community on the coast and then informed his parents.

Furthermore, the victim's family asked for help and assistance to the community as well as the guard officers who were on the coast, then checked the location to look for victims.

"We continue to try to find victims by conducting searches into the middle of the ocean and along the coast," he said.

The coastal tourist attraction area in the southern region of Garut Regency is reportedly crowded with tourists from various regions during the Eid holiday momentum.

A number of security officers were also alerted at the beach attraction to provide assistance services in case of a sea accident or anticipation of disturbances in security and public order.