3 Students Drift Lubuk Tongga, Padang Walkot Confirms Search Continues

Illustration of members of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). (Between)

W Sumatra - Mayor of Padang, Hendri Septa, confirmed that the search for three students from one of the vocational high schools (SMK) in the local city who were washed away in the Lubuk Tongga River, Balai Tongga Village, Padang City will continue.

"This is a disaster and we will ensure that the search for three students who were swept away by the swift current of this river will continue," he said in Padang, West Sumatra (West Sumatra), Sunday.

According to him, joint officers from Padang BPBD, Basarnas, Police, TNI, PMI, and others have been searching until Saturday 11 June night.

"But the search had to be stopped because the river's water discharge was getting higher due to heavy rains," he said, citing Antara.

He said, today officers will conduct a sweep along the river to the estuary and is expected to find the three victims.

"We hope to find all three in good condition and if they are dead we can find the bodies," he said.

He appealed to people living in river basins to be more careful when heavy rains occur, which can make the water discharge high and cause heavy currents.

Previously, three students from a state vocational school in Padang City, West Sumatra, were swept away by the swift current of the Lubuk Tongga River on Saturday, June 11 afternoon.

The Head of Emergency and Logistics of BPBD Padang Basril said reports from witnesses that initially four students were going to swim in Lubuk Tongga and did not know the weather conditions which would cause heavy rain and make the river water discharge high.

The three students who were swept away were Ikhsan Maulana (16), Sintia Vita Loka (16), and Ulfa (16).

Meanwhile, the witness who survived this incident and reported that his three friends were swept away was Aditya Nugraha (16).

While swimming the three friends were swept away and the witness tried to save but was unsuccessful. "This witness immediately reported to local residents and reported to BPBD Padang," he said.