Photo: National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas)
Tourists rushing to take a selfie caused the boat to flip over.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on May 21, 2021
On a boat in Indonesia, which was over capacity to begin with, a group of 19 people was thrown into the water after the boat capsized.
In Central Java on the Kedung Ombo Boyolali Reservoir, a large group of people shifted to the front of the boat to take selfies near a popular tourist spot.
Due to the weight, the vessel flipped over and launched everyone into the water, drowning at least seven people, with two more presumed to also have died.
Some reports, as in the video below, say as many as 13 people may have died, though that number could not be found elsewhere.
One of the survivors is believed to have lost five members of his family.
The youngest among the victims was only 4 years old and the oldest was 38. Reports say that a woman and her twins were among the dead, and the mother and her children were found "still clinging to each other in the water."
The driver of the boat is reported to have been a 13-year-old boy.
The entire ride wasn’t up to regulation, and no one was wearing a life jacket.
From the driver being so young to there being no safety equipment on board, according to Central Java Police Inspector General Ahmad Luthfi — and the boat was never supposed to fit more than 14 people.
A survivor told Kompas that the boat began taking water the moment everyone moved to the front until it was impossible to maintain its balance.
"It was about to reach its destination," Luthfi said, "but suddenly many shifted forward to the front of the boat to take selfies. The boat was unbalanced, and overturned, all passengers were thrown into the reservoir."
Police are currently investigating whether the fault lies with the 13-year-old boat operator for allowing the boat to be over capacity.
Indonesia is no stranger to boating accidents.
In 2018, a ferry that carried more than 200 people sank; 192 people were believed to have drowned.
Selfie injuries are also not all that uncommon.
The Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care conducted research and found that from October 2011 to November 2017 there have been 259 deaths in 137 incidents, Indonesia included on the list of incidents.
It all seems like it was all a bad accident, but maybe this means we should be more mindful of where we take our selfies.
Isaac Serna is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice and relationships.