appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Aisyah Llewellyn

The death of a 17-year-old who was filmed after being swept out to sea at a popular tourist spot has prompted soul-searching in Indonesia about the bystander effect.
Elmi Febrianti had been visiting the Apparalang tourist site in Bulukumba regency with her family on Sunday when she ventured to a clifftop known as a popular selfie vantage point and was struck by a large wave that dragged her out to sea.
Apparalang is known for its turquoise waters and towering limestone cliffs, whose dramatic rock formations draw visitors seeking striking photographs. The lack of an easily accessible coastline complicated rescue efforts after Elmi was swept in.
Bystander footage, which quickly went viral on Indonesian social media, showed the teenager struggling to swim and signal for help as she was battered by large waves. On several occasions she appeared to fight towards shore before being pulled back by the current and at points she struggled to keep her head above water, before disappearing from view.

The harrowing footage drew widespread condemnation, with many social media users questioning why no one at the scene tried to help the high school student.
The incident occurred at 2.30pm on Sunday. Elmi’s body was not recovered until around midnight, following a search by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and local fishermen.
Andi Sultan, head of operations and disaster preparedness at Basarnas’ Makassar office, told This Week in Asia that the site’s remoteness – roughly six hours by road from the provincial capital – and poor weather hampered the operation.
“Once we were alerted to the incident by the public, it took around two hours for a search and rescue team to reach Apparalang with a rubber dinghy,” he said. “Due to the size of the waves and the cliffs, it took some time to find an appropriate location to launch.”
No one helped her and it seemed inhumane
Andi Sultan, Barsarnas’ Makassar head of operations
Elmi’s body was found around 1.5km (1,640 yards) from where she originally fell into the water, Sultan said. Local fishermen who had joined the search as volunteers were the first to locate her.
Asked about the outrage over bystanders filming the incident, Sultan said the reaction was understandable, but added context.
“It certainly looked unreasonable that no one helped her and it seemed inhumane,” he said.
“However, there were mostly young people visiting the site that day and we do not know if any of them could swim. Also, if you do not have any life-saving equipment like a lifebuoy, you are limited in how you can help.”

Local resident Rifki – who, like many Indonesians, uses only one name – told This Week in Asia that fear of the conditions at sea was likely a factor.
“For the past few months, the waves at Apparalang have been huge because we are entering the dry season,” he said. “I think people might have been afraid of the waves which is why they didn’t go into the water. There is also no safety equipment at Apparalang.”
Both Rifki and members of the rescue team at the scene confirmed there were no lifebuoys or life rings at the site, no lifeguards on duty and no rubber dinghy available.
Sultan said that had lifeguards and inflatable equipment been in place, Elmi could likely have been saved. He added that in any similar situation, throwing anything buoyant to a drowning person was better than doing nothing.
“All tourist beach areas in Indonesia should have a water rescue team and safety equipment as standard,” Sultan said, adding that his agency was working with local government to ensure the lessons of Elmi’s drowning would be learned.
“The search and rescue agency stands ready to help with training and infrastructure at Apparalang, and to share safety information so that this never happens again.”


Why Brunei prefers ‘quiet diplomacy’ over confrontation in South China Sea

Indonesian arrested in Singapore over fake banknotes was victim of fraud: lawyer

Malaysia’s local acts feel left out of live music boom: ‘missing middle’

Indonesia breathing issues spike to over 170,000 cases amid wildfire haze

Indonesia

Teen’s drowning forces Indonesia to confront bystander effect: ‘no one helped her’

Elmi Febrianti had been visiting Apparalang in Bulukumba regency with her family. Photo: Facebook

Rescuers recover Elmi Febrianti’s body from the sea off South Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sunday in this still from a video. Photo: Andi Sultan

Apparalang in Indonesia’s South Sulawesi is known for its turquoise waters and towering limestone cliffs. Photo: Shutterstock

Elmi Febrianti had been visiting Apparalang with her family when Sunday’s tragedy occurred. Photo: Facebook

Why Grab and Gojek drivers fear Bali’s ‘no-go zones’

Cars drive along a road in Denpasar, on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali, at sunset. Photo: AFP

A sign reading “Online drop only, no pick up” on Echo Beach Road in Canggu, Bali. Photo: Salomé Grouard

Heavy traffic on the roads in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: Shutterstock

A row of Gojek and Grab riders wait for passengers in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta. Photo: Shutterstock

Tourists seen on a beach in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, on May 4. Photo: EPA

Where Southeast Asians really want to live, work and travel

People at the Merlion statue in Singapore. The city state has emerged top among Southeast Asians who chose an Asean member as their preferred relocation destination, according to a survey. Photo: AFP

Tourists at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. Thailand is the most preferred travel destination in Asean, according to a regional survey. Photo: Sopa Images/ZumaPress Wire/dpa

Foreign tourists wearing kimonos in the Asakusa area in Tokyo. Japan’s soft power has endured among Southeast Asians, many of whom consider it a top tourism and work destination, according to a survey. Photo: AFP

Indonesia looks to Singapore’s ‘Swiftonomics’ success to boost tourism, but can it sustain creative industry?

Fans of singer Taylor Swift watch a light and water show in the “Eras Tour Trail” that depicts different eras of the pop star’s career at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on February 28. Photo: AFP

US singer Taylor Swift performs on stage during a concert in Sydney on February 23. Photo: AFP

Music entrepreneur Teguh Wicaksono. Photo: Handout

Tourists in Bali, Indonesia. Economist Gancar Premananto says Indonesia should synergise its advantages such as tourism and nature with how it markets and promotes international events in the country. Photo: EPA-EFE

Workers prepare a store selling merchandise for US singer Taylor Swift at the Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore on February 28, 2024, ahead of her sold-out shows in the city state. Photo: AFP

This Week in Asia

People

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Elmi Febrianti, 17, drowned while bystanders filmed. Her death has forced Indonesia to ask why no one tried to help


Elmi Febrianti, 17, drowned while bystanders filmed. Her death has forced Indonesia to ask why no one tried to help.


Social media

Tourism

Marine safety

National Search and Rescue Agency (Indonesia)

Teen’s drowning forces Indonesia to confront bystander effect: ‘no one helped her’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Elmi Febrianti, 17, drowned while bystanders filmed. Her death has forced Indonesia to ask why no one tried to help

Elmi Febrianti, 17, drowned while bystanders filmed. Her death has forced Indonesia to ask why no one tried to help