Suspected of being unable to swim, a nine-year-old boy drowns

 Written by: Alfina Novi S P

Sukoharjo – A nine-year-old boy was found dead after drowning in spring at Wirogunan, District Kartasura, Sukoharjo Regency on Saturday (1/1/2011). It is suspected that the victim could not swim and had difficulty balancing his body while swimming with his friends.

The tragic incident happened on Saturday afternoon at around 5 p.m. The victim is known as Zidan Rohmad Ramadhan, a resident of Kuncen, Wirogunan. The incident has been confirmed by the village chief of Wirogunan. "Yes, that’s correct. There was a drowning child in the spring. This is particularly unfortunate given that the victim is still very young. This is why it is very important to pay more attention to our children while they are playing with their friends because we never know what will happen. They can do things we don't expect.” Explained him.

According to the information acquired, the victim and his two friends, Fahri and Akbar, went to spring on that day to simply do fishing with a net around them. Fahri, on the other hand, persuaded them to swim a few moments later. There was additional information reported; Fahri and Akbar were unaware that the victim could not swim, and they did not expect that the spring was too deep for a child of their size.

Fahri and Akbar were said to be so concentrated on their swimming that they did not see the victim who was left behind. They had no idea the victim had drowned when they approached them for help. Fate was not on the victim's side. He was out of the air and his body floated upside down in the water, only to be spotted by his two friends. Local residents ran out of the house when Fahri and Akbar yelled for help, and immediately rescued the victim. His life, however, was not saved.

Following that, the victim was rushed to the hospital for a post-mortem investigation. The medical team discovered that the victim's condition was not violent, but rather a result of a pure water accident. After that, the victim was taken to a funeral home to be buried.

"There is no one to blame because everything happened by coincidence. Parents, on the other side, should be extremely careful because children, even while they are playing, require assistance. This incident should be used as a lesson to all residents, particularly parents with children under the age of 18." Said the village chief.

Sarno, one of the Wirogunan residents, said that the next day, a banner warning "no swimming here is allowed" would be displayed to prevent the same unfortunate tragedy. Additionally, a security fence will also be built around the spring, which will be strictly guarded by residents against children and visitors that come to the area for a brief moment.