3 students found dead in flooded Indonesian cave

BANDUNG, Indonesia – Three university students were found dead in a cave in Indonesia after they were trapped inside by flood waters, officials said Monday, December 23.

A search and rescue operation launched on Sunday retrieved 5 people alive from Lele cave in West Java after heavy rain hit the area and flooded it, authorities said.

The victims “were trapped inside the cave for quite a while before the team managed to evacuate them,” said local search and rescue agency spokeswoman Seni Wulandari.

She added it took an hour for the rescue team to make it into the cave, which is 30 meters below ground level.

The students – part of a university nature club – went there to train in basic caving.

A senior member of the club who helped with the evacuation, Ari Alfian, said the weather was normal when the students entered the cave, but an unexpected heavy downpour hit the area. 

“Water entered the cave like a waterfall. Initially only 5 students were inside the cave, including the victims,” Alfian told Agence France-Prese on Monday.

“Another 3 came in to rescue them as the bad weather arrived. They were all trapped but only 5 managed to survive.”

The rainy season started in late November and several regions in Indonesia including West Java have been hit by bad weather and storms in the past two weeks. – Rappler.com