Eleven people drowned after being dragged out at sea by big waves during a midnight ritual on a beach on the south coast of Indonesia’s East Java province, despite warnings avoid the shore, officials said Sunday.
They were part of a group of 24 people of several villages who took part in a local ritual on Saturday night that involves swimming in the ocean, according to officials from the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency.
A 2-year- old girl was among the 13 survivors at Payangan beach in Jember district, officials said. They were treated in a dispensary.
“A local resident warned them not to go to the sea car of big waves, but they ignored it,” said chief lifeguard I. Wayan Suyatna. He said that 23 of they were dragged out by one vague sudden.
the last the victim was recovered on Sunday afternoon.
indonesia weather the agency warned of extreme potential weather and high waves in several regions, including the province of East Java.
