Only Leaving an Umbrella, Toddlers in Malang Swept Away by a Swift and Unfound Drain

Kapanlagi.com - Toddlers in Malang Regency are suspected to have been swept away by rainwater in front of their house. Rafa Alfarisi (3.5) only left an umbrella at the scene, while the victim has not been found until now.

Karangploso Police Chief of Malang Police, AKP Efendy Budi Wibowo, said that during the incident, heavy rain caused the water flow around the victim's house to be quite strong. The drain is small but deep enough for a 3.5-year-old child.

The victim, who was with his grandmother at the time, managed to leave the house with an umbrella. The victim was looking for Mr. Dhenya, while his grandmother turned off the stove in the kitchen.

"The gate was already closed, but there was still a gap or not completely closed. Then he went out while carrying an umbrella, saying he was looking for Mr. Dhenya. Meanwhile, the grandmother turned off the stove," said AKP Efendy Budi Wibowo in Balaidesa Ngijo, Karangploso, Malang Regency, on Tuesday (11/2).

1. Victim Not Found Anymore

© KapanLagi.com/Darmadi Sasongko

As soon as the grandmother came out of the kitchen, the victim was no longer found at the location and was suspected to have been carried away by the sewer. Only an umbrella was found, which was previously used to play around the sewer.

"We only suspect that this child slipped and was carried away by the current. After the incident, the sewer was already dry, and the victim was not found," he said.

The victim lived in Griya Permata Alam Housing, Ngijo Village, Karangploso, Malang Regency. The location of the sewer is about 100 meters away from the Bodo River, so it is suspected that the victim has been carried away by the river. A search has been conducted along the sewer, but the victim has not been found.

Commander of the Search and Rescue (SAR) Office Operation Team in Surabaya, Ainul Makhdin, said that three SRUs (Search and Rescue Units) were searching the Bodo River. The first team explored a distance of 1.5 km from the incident location, Team II reached Telaga 3 bridge, and another team explored from the lake to the Babakan bridge, which is about 2 km away.

"The search method is by searching or diving. Last night, we already saw the location. The terrain is rough, so if there are dams, we search manually using tubing or tires. The search will continue for a maximum of 7 days," he said.

2. Search Involves Joint SAR Team

© KapanLagi.com/Darmadi Sasongko

The first SRU conducted a search up to a distance of 1.5 kilometers until reaching the Pertamanan bridge area. The second and third SRUs continued the search up to a distance of one kilometer until reaching the Bukit Palem bridge area and the Lowoksari area.

The farthest search is approximately 5.5 km from the scene to the last position. The search involves a Joint SAR Team with around 60 personnel working in shifts since last night.

The search efforts for Rafa in the Bodo river involve many parties, including the Surabaya SAR Office team, Karangploso Military Post, Karangploso Military Post, Mahameru SAR, Malang Regency PMI, Satria Rescue, Malang Raya Volunteers, PSC 119, Malang MTA SAR, Penanggungan SAR, and other volunteer SAR organizations in Malang.

(kpl/dar/nda)