In Indonesia, footage of an incident where a young woman playing in a river (above a waterfall) fell over the edge has been circulating. She was later recovered from the water, having drowned. The reactions of her friends are so raw and chilling.
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Video showing the recovery of a drowned body
The drowning rate is lower than the global average but is concentrated in specific regions.
The recent accident at a waterfall in Indonesia serves as a prompt to consider the actual frequency of such water-related incidents. According to one analysis, the mortality rate from accidental drowning in Indonesia fell from 3.35 per 100,000 population in 2005 to 1.93 in 2019, with an average of 2.58 over that period. This figure is lower than the estimated global average of approximately 4 per 100,000 as of 2017.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that more than half of all global drowning deaths occur within its Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, with 92% of all such fatalities taking place in low- and middle-income countries. Indonesia falls within these regions; while its specific mortality rate may be lower than the global average, the broader regional pattern—characterized by a concentration of drowning risks—remains unchanged. In fact, there have been reports of tourists drowning while swimming at waterfalls—such as Curug Lalagan in Sukabumi Regency and Watu Bobot in Jepara—demonstrating that water-related accidents in these environments continue to occur.
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