5 Days Lost, 2 Years Toddler Found Dead In Barito River

Officers from BPBD Murung Raya were assisted by residents and police officers while evacuating the body of a toddler who was missing in the Barito River, Tuesday (25/3/2025). (ANTARA)

MURUNGRAYA - Alga, a two-year-old toddler boy who has been missing since last Thursday in the Barito River in Muara Untu Village, Murung District, Mururraya Regency, Central Kalimantan, was found last Tuesday.

"Jasad Alga was found by his own father not far from where he fell," said Head of the Managing Agency (Kalaksa) of the Murung Raya Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Fitrianul Fahriman, quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, March 27,

Fitrianul said the discovery of the toddler's body at 09.00 and was found approximately 50 meters from the scene of the incident. In evacuating the toddler's body, apart from being carried out by the family, was also assisted by the BPBD Murung Raya SAR OPS TRC Team and members from the Murung Police.

"Currently, the victim has been buried in a family cemetery in Muara Untu Village shortly after the evacuation was carried out," he said.

Meanwhile, in an effort to search for five days, Fitrianul said that his party had deployed a fleet and a TRC team to comb the river and assisted by boats belonging to local villagers. In the search effort, according to the Head of BPBD, it was hampered by the high water level and the swift flow of the Barito River.

"Incidentally, when the victim's body was found this morning, the river water was already receding," he added.

While the chronology of the disappearance of the toddler occurred when the victim's mother was cooking, and the victim was with her grandmother. When the grandmother came out for a while and after returning the victim was gone.

The residence of the victim's family and his own family is under the company camp of PT Pandu Jaya Gemilang Agung or the upstream area of the village.

His own place of residence is a floating house which also functions as a place to mine gold in the river, or the local language called Talatap.