A trip to the beach ended in tragedy for a teen and her family. She ended up getting swept away by a wave while taking photos on a rocky beach.
Locals tried but failed to save her after the 18-year-old got swept out to sea. Merlin Septiana had went to Semit Beach in Central Lombok Regency on December 19 with her friends. The 18-year-old apparently was struck by the beauty of the place and decided to take some photos.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature is as treacherous as it is beautiful. The teen wasn't aware of the danger until it was too late. At the time of her death, Merlin had been wearing headphones. It's likely that the headphones blocked the sound of waves until it was too late.
Unfortunately, the teen and her friends got a bit too close to the surf. The group took turns taking pictures on a rocky cliff. But when it was Merlin's turn, a wave ended up knocking her off the rocks. She went plummeting in the sea. From there, it turned into a horror story.
Teen Drowns
The teen clung to a nearby boulder, getting battered by the waves around her. It proved to be too much for her, and she slipped under the water. Sadly, the teen never surfaced again.
Lalu Wahyu Efendi, head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office, opened up about the tragedy. He said, "Efforts by her friends to help using makeshift tools such as wood and fishing rods were unsuccessful. Local residents immediately reported to the police."
Search and rescue crews later located the body of Merlin later that afternoon in the surf. They were able to retrieve the corpse. Sadly, there was nothing else that they could do.
Ridwan Mak'ruf, chief executive of the Central Lombok Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), said, "The girl's body was collected by the search and rescue team, the BPBD, and the police. However, she was already dead."
Following the tragedy, police returned the teen's body to her family. She lived in Tanak Awu village. The tragedy is just the most recent example of the dangers of the sea.
