Missing for 7 Days, Grandmother in Karangasem Found Dead at the Bottom of a Ravine

Illustration of corpse (Antara)

KARANGASEM - Ni Wayan Reti (75), a grandmother who was previously reported missing while going to the fields with her two cows, was finally found after a seven-day search. Her body was found dead at the bottom of a ravine on Wednesday afternoon, November 12th.

The search was conducted by a joint SAR team under heavy rain. The steep terrain made the operation difficult, forcing the operation to be postponed until the rain subsided.

Ngurah Eka Wiadnyana, Coordinator of the Karangasem Search and Rescue Post, stated that the search on the seventh day focused on the area where the victim's cows were found, after the team detected a foul odor suspected to be coming from the victim.

"On the seventh day of the search, we focused on the area next to the cows. Then the team followed the ravine below, and the joint team detected a very strong fishy odor," he said.

Eka Wiadnyana explained that the team's main challenge was verifying the unpleasant odor detected around the location where the victim's cows were found.

"We smelled a very strong fishy odor around the ravine, but we couldn't pinpoint the exact location. Due to heavy rain, we finally pulled the team that was already at the bottom of the ravine up," he added.

Previously, the joint SAR team, divided into two Search and Rescue Units (SRUs), had searched the entire ravine, which was the victim's common route to the plantation. Ni Wayan Reti is suspected to have fallen into the approximately 30-meter-deep ravine while leading a cow to forage.

After the weather cleared, personnel were lowered down using lowering techniques. It wasn't until the third personnel lowered that Ni Wayan Reti's body was found.

"The target was found at a depth of 30 meters. The body was evacuated to the top at 3:00 PM WITA," he added.

The body was then taken to Karangasem Regency Hospital by a local ambulance.