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Search continues for West Java governor’s son, swept away in Swiss river
A local SAR operation resumed on Friday morning after Ridwan Kamil's son Eril was swept away by a strong current in Bern's Aare River yesterday afternoon.
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West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil briefs the media on COVID-19 handling on June 22, 2020 at Siliwangi III Regional Military Command Headquarters (Makodam) in Bandung, West Java. (Antara/M Agung Rajasa)
E
mmeril “Eril” Khan Mumtadz, the eldest son of West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, was reported missing on Thursday after he was swept away by strong currents while swimming in the Aare River in Bern, Switzerland.
Swiss police were dispatched on a search-and-rescue (SAR) mission to look for the 22-year-old, but the operation was paused late on Thursday after eight hours. The search would continue on Friday, family representative Elpi Nazmuzaman confirmed.
Eril was swimming with a friend and a relative on Thursday afternoon when he was pulled under by a strong current. “When he [tried] to come back up to the surface, Eril was dragged by a fairly swift current [despite] help from his friend,” Elpi said in a press statement.
The incident occurred while Eril was in Switzerland, accompanied by family members, to enroll in a master program at a local university, and Ridwan was on a work trip to England with a delegation from the West Java administration. The governor has since joined his family in the search for his son.
The Foreign Ministry’s director for overseas citizens’ protection, Judha Nugraha, said on Friday that the Indonesian Embassy in Bern was cooperating with local authorities to find Eril.
“Search efforts were immediately carried out along the Aare River on May 26 and continued on the morning of May 27, local time,” Judha said in a statement.
“Let us pray for Eril to be found in a safe condition,” he added.
According to a report by the Indonesian Embassy in Bern on Friday, the Bern Police have deployed joint SAR operation personnel comprising the river police, firefighters and emergency medical services to sweep “all possible spots” along the river.
The scope of the search was widened as authorities continued the operation on Friday morning, Ambassador Muliaman Hadad said in a statement.
Ridwan, a former mayor of Bandung and a popular social media figure, is touted as a potential presidential nominee for 2024, but has yet to comment publicly on the matter.
