A woman was carried away into the sea during a photo shoot on a rocky shore (2 photos + 1 video)
Category: Terrible (all news), News from the world
17 April 2025
Merlin Septiana was sitting on a large rock, listening to music on her headphones and smiling at the camera, and had no idea what would happen to her next. 
18-year-old Merlin Septiana was having fun with her friends, taking pictures on the beach in Semeta, Indonesia. The girl could not even imagine that this picture, in which she is sitting on rocks, listening to music on her headphones and smiling at the camera, would become fateful.
At some point, a large wave covers the tourist and she disappears under the water. Footage posted online shows locals desperately trying to save her. In the background, the cries and screams of bystanders can be heard, unable to do anything but stare at the sea in disbelief.
Lalu Wahyu Effendi, head of the Mataram search and rescue department, notes that Merlin's friends tried to help her with improvised means, including a tree branch and a fishing rod, but all in vain.
It took authorities two hours to find the victim's body, which had washed up on a rock due to the rough waters. From the moment Septiana disappeared (around 3:00 p.m. local time), the search and rescue operation continued until 5:13 p.m.
Ridwan Makruf, executive director of the Central Lombok Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), confirmed that the girl was dead. Her body was handed over to her family in Tanak Awu village. According to preliminary information, the headphones may have drowned out the sound of the waves.
Incidentally, Indonesian beaches are quite dangerous for vacationers, in particular there are strong currents, large waves and unpredictable tides. This can lead to fatal consequences, especially for inexperienced swimmers.
