At least eight students were killed and five more missing when a flash flood hit the Sleman regency of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where junior high school students were on a camping trip.
Two dozen students from the group of 249 scouts were injured and taken to hospital after being hit by the flood while trekking along the Sempor river near Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta on Friday (Feb 21st). Rescuers found six bodies on Friday afternoon.
The students were from local school scout clubs. The dead were all female students aged between 12 and 15.
River trekking is banned for children and teenagers during the rainy season, National Disaster Agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said.
The police have launched an investigation for possible negligence in the deadly incident. At least six teachers were questioned on Saturday.
Indonesia is regularly hit by floods during the rainy season, which started in late November.
Three university students were found dead in a cave in West Java in December after they were trapped inside by flood waters.
Torrential rain in January triggered flooding and landslides that killed nearly 70 people in and around the capital Jakarta while thousands more were forced to evacuate to shelters.
