Like This BMKG's Analysis Of Dozens Of People Who Died In The Waves While Undergoing A Ritual In Payangan Jember

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded the height of the sea waves during a deadly ritual event at Payangan Beach, Jember, East Java, Sunday, February 13, reaching 2.5 meters with wind speeds of 5-15 knots or about 9-27 km. per hour.

"At the time of the incident, our monitoring for information on wave heights in the area reached 2.5 meters with wind speeds ranging from 5-15 knots," said Head of the BMKG Maritime Meteorology Center, Eko Prasetyo, Tuesday, February 15, quoted from Antara.

Eko explained that during the ritual, the wind was not that strong, but because it was carried out in the early hours of the morning, the eye sight was reduced, so it was less sensitive to see the surrounding conditions.

It should be noted that the condition of the South Coast of Java has a steep coastline characteristic. That is, the beach is only a few meters then straight into the steep.

The shoreline is shallow and steep, there are visible waves breaking up to the location of the breaking waves.

Being swept away by waves can be caused by a rip current or a strong current that moves away from the beach so that it can drag an object into the sea. The speed varies, depending on wave conditions, tides and the shape of the beach, which is very dangerous for visitors.

The reason is because of the meeting of the waves that are parallel to the shoreline, causing a high-speed backflow.

In order to avoid this disaster, obey the prohibitions or rules on the beach. If caught in a rip current, do not cross the current, swim out of the direction of the current and try to stay on the surface of the water.

Rituals at Payangan Beach Jember caused 11 people to die when they were swept away by the ocean waves.