3 Days Lost, Boy In Berau Found Dead Drowning

The joint SAR team evacuated the drowning victim in the Kelay River, Berau Regency, Tuesday (5/9) (ANTARA)

An 8-year-old boy who was swept away by the river current while traveling in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, was just found dead Tuesday, September 5. The boy's body was found by the joint SAR team three days after missing and its position three kilometers from the last location the victim was seen. After combing the location and river flow, the joint SAR team consisting of Basarnas Balikpapan, BPBD Berau, TNI-Polri, and the family, finally managed to find the victim in a dead condition. The victim named Calvin Sidabutar, aged 8 years, was found three kilometers from the location of the victim reported missing while traveling on the edge of the Kelay River, Berau Regency. Evacuation process was carried out accompanied by the sobs of the family and the mother of the hysterical victim when the joint SAR team arrived at the location carrying the body of the victim who had been wrapped in a body bag. Head of the Balikpapan Basarnas Office, Melkianus Kotta, said the victim was finally found at around 07.10 WITa, as far as 3 kilometers from the last location the victim was seen. When found by the joint SAR team, the victim's condition was in a state of death. "Today, September 5, 2023, we report the development of SAR operations in a dangerous condition for a small child who was dragged into the current in the Kelay River, Berau Regency. The victim was found dead," said Melki Tuesday, September 5. The victim's body was immediately evacuated to the hospital for a post-mortem at Dr Abdul Wahab Berau Hospital. With the discovery of the victim, the SAR operation in the Kelay River, Berau Regency was officially closed.

It was reported that an 8-year-old boy in Berau Regency, on Sunday was reported missing by the family while they were traveling on the edge of the receding Kelay River. The local village government appealed to visitors to be more vigilant when traveling in the Kelay River, including increasing supervision, especially for children.