inp.polri.go.id - South Sumatra. The joint team of the Air and Water Security Unit of South Sumatra Regional Police, National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), and local community successfully found and evacuated the two victims of the sinking ship in Baung River, Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency.

The two victims are S (60) and D (17) who were found dead after the joint team searched the two intensively at the river.

The incident occurred on Friday, August 7, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m. At that time, a tugboat was towing a barge loaded with trucks from the Baung River to Palembang.

While passing through the waters near the Sahril mooring, a witness on the barge heard cries for help. The witness then saw two people had fallen into the river.

Following up on the report, personnel from the South Sumatra Regional Police and the Basarnas team immediately launched a search. The search operation continued intensively on Saturday, August 8, 2026 along the Baung River, particularly around the location where the victim reportedly fell. During the search, officers also received support from the ship's management and the local community.

The search effort yielded results at 8:06 a.m. One of the ship's crew members found the body of the victim, identified as S (60), approximately one kilometer from the reported location. Officers then secured and evacuated the victim's body onto a Basarnas vessel.

The search for the second victim continued. At around 10:50 a.m., the team again found the body of the victim, identified as D (17), floating not far from where the first victim was found. The victim's body was immediately evacuated by a joint team.

The two bodies were then transported by speedboat to the South Sumatra Regional Police pier and then transferred to Bhayangkara Moh Hasan Hospital in Palembang for an autopsy.

Based on a preliminary visual inspection, no signs of violence were found on the bodies of the two victims. Further examination was conducted to determine the condition and cause of death of the two victims.

The Director of the Water and Air Security Unit of the South Sumatra Regional Police, Senior Superintendent Heru Agung Nugroho, emphasized that the police, along with related agencies, act quickly in every water accident, especially those requiring search and evacuation of victims in water areas.

"We are optimally deploying personnel and a joint team to search for and evacuate victims. Response speed is crucial in handling any disaster in waters," said Heru.

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