Allegedly Keram, A 19-year-old Youth In Palangka Raya Drowned

Illustration (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

PALANGKA RAYA - The Palangka Raya Basarnas SAR team conducted a search for a teenage boy with the initials MA, who drowned while swimming with his colleagues in the Kahayan River around the bottom Flamboyan port pier, Palangka Raya City, Central Kalimantan, on Sunday, March 10.

"The victim is a class XII student at SMKN 2 Palangka Raya, majoring in Accounting," said Field Coordinator (Korlap) of the Palangka Raya Basarnas Muhammad Rizali as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, March 12.

The 19-year-old man is thought to have run deep while swimming so that he was carried away by the current of the Kahayan River which at the time of the incident was overflowing.

Previously, the victim and nine of his colleagues only swam near the bottom Flamboyan port pier.

Then eight of his colleagues decided to get ashore, while the victim and another partner actually swam into the middle of the river holding hands with each other.

However, upon arrival in the middle of the river, the victim's hand holder was released from his colleague due to the swift current of the Kahayan River which at the time of the incident was overflowing so that the victim drowned in the middle of the river. Panic the victim drowned, his colleague then asked local residents for help.

"After receiving the report, we deployed the SAR team to search for victims," he said.

Rizali further said that on the second day of the search for victims, his party searched about a radius of two kilometers from the location where the victim was reported to have drowned. The search for victims was carried out from 07.00 WIB to 17.00 WIB.

However, in the process of searching for victims, his party was constrained by the swift and tidal current of the river so that his party could not deploy a team of divers. Currently, his party uses three rubber boats, to conduct a sweep of the Kahayan River.

"We are also assisted by BPBD Palangka Raya City, BPB-PK Central Kalimantan, Polairud to the volunteer team, hopefully it will produce results," he said.

Currently, the joint SAR team has set up a SAR post at the bottom Flamboyan port pier, to be on standby for the next seven days. If within seven days the victim has not been found, then his party will conduct a search in the patrol method.

People who are on the banks of the river are asked to be able to help in the search process, taking into account the condition of their respective homes. If you find any signs of victims, immediately report them to the officers at the joint SAR post.

"We hope that the victim can be found and handed over to his family soon. The post is located at the bottom Flamboyan pier," said Muhammad Rizali.