A chilling video has emerged that captures the tragic moment when a teenager was swept away to her death while posing for a photo on a rocky beach, despite locals' desperate attempts to save her. Merlin Septiana, 18, had gone to Semeti Beach in Central Lombok Regency in Indonesia with her friends on December 19 to take pictures.
In one photo, taken just moments before the incident, she can be seen wearing headphones, which may have prevented her from hearing the crashing waves. The excited schoolgirls took turns posing on a rocky cliff, but the scene soon took a tragic turn a wave suddenly swept Merlin off her precarious spot.
Happy Moment Turns Tragic in Seconds
Harrowing footage captures the frantic efforts of locals making desperate efforts to save Merlin, who is seen with little hope grabbing onto a boulder as the violent waves struck her. However, she soon is soon seen losing her grip and slips and is swept away by the swirling torrent in seconds.
Lalu Wahyu Efendi, head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office, confirmed that the incident occurred around 3 p.m. local time.
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."
Rescue teams and officers were dispatched to search along the coastline but struggled to locate her. At 5:13 p.m., they found Merlin's lifeless body being slammed against the rocks.
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."
Family and Friends Devastated after Unexpected Tragedy
Merlin's body has been returned to her family in Tanak Awu village. An autopsy of her body is yet to be conducted.
Earlier, on October 13, a male student was also swept away by a wave at a beach cliff in Indonesia.
Roni Josua Simanjuntak, 20, from North Sumatra, was standing on wet rocks with friends when a wave struck the boulders, sending powerful whitewater rushing toward them at Kedung Tumpang Beach in East Java.
His body was found drifting face-down off Karang Payung Beach on October 18.
While Indonesia's beaches are breathtaking, they can be dangerous due to strong rip currents, unexpected waves, and shifting tides, making swimming risky, especially for those who are not experienced.
