West Papua TVRI Presenter Swept Away in Waterfall; SAR Operation Launched

A search operation has been launched by the Manokwari SAR team for Yanto Idorway, a presenter for TVRI West Papua, who was allegedly swept away by a river in the Memti Waterfall area, Sisrang Village, Pegunungan Arfak Regency, on Saturday, July 18. Yefri Sabaruddin, Head of the Manokwari SAR Office, stated that the report of the incident was received at 8:30 PM WIT from the Head of Intelligence of the Arfak Mountains Police. The suspected incident occurred around 2:00 PM WIT. According to the report, Idorway visited the waterfall with two colleagues. While attempting to cross the river, he slipped and was carried away by the current. His two colleagues attempted an independent rescue but were unsuccessful in finding him. The SAR team departed from Manokwari at 8:52 PM WIT, with an estimated land travel time of five to six hours to the incident location. Upon arrival, the team will first coordinate with the local police. The search operation is scheduled to commence on Sunday, July 19. It will involve joint personnel from the Manokwari SAR Office and the Arfak Mountains Police, utilizing assets such as one thermal drone, five sets of communication equipment, and water SAR equipment. Team members face several challenges in the field, including long distances and mobilization processes conducted at night. The weather conditions in the operating area are expected to be cloudy. "We will convey the development of operations periodically according to the results in the field," said Yefri.