Tragedy 5-year-old Girl Dies In River Flow, Officers Say Victim Did Not Receive Close Supervision

Officers carry the body of Aqila Ramadania, a 5-year-old girl who died after being dragged by a river in East Jakarta / Photo: IST

JAKARTA - The search for a 5-year-old boy named Aqila Ramadania, who was lost in the flow of the river in front of the Central Kelurahan Office, East Jakarta, was found dead.

Head of East Jakarta Fire and Rescue (Gulkarmat) Sub-dept., Gatot Sulaeman, said that Aqila, a resident of RT 01/04, Tengah Village, was found dead in Ciliwung River at around 15.35 WIB.

"The victim was found by a joint team in Ciliwung River, Kampung Melayu area, at 15.45 WIB, dead and immediately taken to the funeral home," Gatot told reporters, Friday, March 18.

His party also ended the search, which began at 08.40 WIB and ended at 16.00 WIB. The Central Village Head, Suwindarto said, Aqila, a resident of RT 01/04 Tengah Village, was known to have been swept away by the current on Thursday 17 March.

Aqila and her sister, who is about 11 years old, play in the water canal in front of the Kelurahan Tengah office, which is located on Jalan Al Bariyah. At the time of the incident, it was raining.

"However, because her sister is busy with her friends, her 5-year-old sister is out of her brother's supervision and yesterday had drowned at 17.00 WIB," he said.

Based on the information from Aqila's parents, Suwindarto continued, the child usually rarely plays. Only yesterday he followed his brother who was engrossed in playing in the rain with his friends.

Unfortunately, at around 17.00 WIB, while playing in the water channel without the supervision of her brother, Aqila was swept away by the current in the water channel that flows to the Main River, Kramat Jati.

"The zero point (of the incident) is exactly in front of the Kelurahan Tengah office, there is indeed a channel that will later be connected to the Kali Induk, Kramat Jati," he said.

He continued, there were residents who saw the victim asking for help, but because there were often children playing in the rain, they thought it was just a joke.

"Residents saw the child asking for help, but he said it was because the small children here are used to it and they said it was like a joke," he said.