Bandung –
A calm atmosphere accompanied by the sound of rain turned grim when a teenage girl, Gina L (18), fell and was swept away in the Cibanjaran River, Bandung Regency. Residents and family immediately plunged into the fast-flowing river to provide assistance.
The strong current created a panicked situation as several residents recklessly jumped into the river. A total of six residents attempted to help the teenager.
The harrowing incident occurred in Girang Deket Hamlet, Banjaran Village, Banjaran District, Bandung Regency. The moments of the evacuation process were recorded by a resident’s camera and the video went viral on social media.
“The victim was tidying up at her house before the incident happened. She walked here, to the front. I was here. Suddenly the TPT collapsed and she fell,” said a resident who went into the river to help the victim.
After seeing the victim fall, he spontaneously jumped into the fast-flowing Cibanjaran River. According to him, the victim was a close relative and was considered like family.
“I just jumped, I didn’t think much about safety or anything, you know, especially since it was a teenager, a girl,” he said.
He explained that moments after jumping, he felt the river’s current was extremely strong. However, he managed to grasp the victim’s hand for a few seconds amidst the rushing water.
“The water was still very fast there, at the edge, I almost got her, her hand was grabbed by me, I got it. But then she was immediately dragged under again. I went under too. Her hand slipped away again,” he explained.
After that, he was carried by the current into a deeper part of the river to avoid collision with the bridge structure. He then quickly surfaced and shouted the victim’s name.
“When I came up, I looked for the victim, I kept looking ‘Where’s Gina, where’s Gina?’. She hadn’t surfaced yet, Gina hadn’t come up. When I was already in front here, Gina finally became visible. Her hair was visible. That’s when the parents and Iwa jumped in,” he said.
“I joined, Iwa got the victim, Iwa had gotten her. I was just relieved when they got the person, the victim. I followed, I wanted to chase from there because there was another bamboo bridge. Right then there was iron, under that bamboo bridge,” he added.
He stated that after that he immediately went ashore to comb the downstream area for the victim. It turned
