Bekasi, IndonesiaSentinel.com — Residents of Bekasi City, Indonesia, were stunned on Sunday, September 22, 2024, when seven bodies were found floating in the Bekasi River. Local authorities and witnesses have since provided further details about the grim discovery.
Priadi Santoso, head of Bekasi’s Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), explained the sequence of events leading up to the discovery. It began when a 64-year-old local resident, identified as ES, was approached by a group of women from a nearby cat community. They had been searching for a lost Angora cat when they spotted a body in the river near the Al Ikhlas Mosque in the Pondok Gede Permai housing complex.
“The women saw the body while looking for the cat and immediately informed ES,” Priadi explained in a statement.
Another resident, MS, 61, then went to the scene to investigate and found five bodies floating in the river. ES quickly notified local authorities, including the Jatiasih Police and emergency responders.
Responding to the call, officers, led by the local police chief, arrived at the scene and discovered two additional bodies.
“In total, seven bodies were found in the Bekasi River, and all were evacuated for further investigation,” Priadi confirmed.
The bodies were taken to Kramat Jati Police Hospital, where authorities are working to determine the cause of death.
“All seven bodies have been removed from the river and are now at the police hospital for further examination,” added a local official, Agung.
Another Body Discovered by Fishermen
Earlier that week, another body was found under a bridge over the Bekasi River in Rawalumbu, Bekasi City. Two local fishermen, identified as H, 34, and AN, 45, discovered the body while fishing.
“As the two men were fishing, they noticed someone lying motionless under the bridge,” Jakarta Metro Police spokesperson, Commissioner Ade Ary Syam Indradi, said in a statement on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
The fishermen immediately alerted the authorities, who confirmed the man, identified as MY, 33, was already deceased.
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MY’s body was sent to a local hospital for an autopsy. According to authorities, no signs of violence were found, and it is suspected that the man may have died of natural causes.
“There were no visible signs of violence. We believe he may have died due to illness,” Ade added.
(Ray)