TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The search for two foreign tourists who were swept away by sea waves at Diamond Beach, Nusa Penida, Klungkung, Bali was stopped after nine days. The joint search and rescue (SAR) teams have yet to find the victims, who were German and Austrian nationals.

“We keep communicating with family and friends, including the consulate, from the beginning of this incident until the ninth day. And all of them are cooperative and understood our duties. They also respected the existing regulations in Indonesia,” said Head of the Bali Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Agency Gede Darmada in his statement, on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

The two foreigners, YC and MM, were reportedly dragged into the sea at Diamond Beach on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Search efforts were immediately launched by a joint SAR team involving various parties, including the Indonesian Military, National Police, local residents, and apparatus in Nusa Penida.

The search was also extended to Manta Point, Crystal Bay until the border of the Lombok Strait. “We don't stop there. We also share information [about the missing foreigners] to passing ships,” Gede added.

The joint SAR team also combed the land area, especially on the coast of Diamond Beach, and conduct monitoring from the top of the cliff. “We are trying our best to comb the shoreline and the tops of the cliffs, because [from a high place] we can see [possible] victims floating in the sea,” he explained.

Cakra Negara, a coordinator of the Nusa Penida SAR Alert Unit, said on the seventh day of the search that the search was held until south of Lombok, reaching an area of 7.38 square miles. However, various efforts of the joint SAR team have not yielded results to date.

In the past few weeks, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued early warnings about extreme weather that might cause high waves and strong winds. The agency’s head for region III Denpasar, Cahyo Nugroho, said the height of sea waves in Bali could reach 2 meters or more until January 13.

ANTARA

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