December 30, 2007 At around 9:15 p.m., news was received about the disappearance of three Widyatama University (UTAMA) students, and the institution conducted internal coordination. December 31, 2007 At 8:15 a.m., internal coordination was conducted again. The three students were:
(1) Eko Saputra Sudirman, English Department, Bachelor’s Degree
(2) Yunita Indah Syafitri, Bachelor of Accounting
(3) Muhammad Iqbal, Bachelor of Management who was also a member of the Widyatama Nature Lovers Student Group (Bramatala). Their departure to Mount Agung, Besakih Bali was of their own volition, outside of the programs or activities of the Student Affairs Bureau and Bramatala. Their departure to Mount Agung, Besakih Bali was known by the chairman of Bramatala. At 11:30 a.m., reporters from national and local electronic and print media were present to confirm the information. Widyatama conveyed official information about the three students in the Widyatama Graha meeting room on the first floor. The information concerned:
1) They are UTAMA students
(2) They are members of Bramatala
(3) Their departure was of their own volition
(4) UTAMA is deeply concerned about the incident and will strive to coordinate with local authorities
(5) UTAMA will invite the victims’ families to UTAMA to provide accurate information regarding the progress of the search. At around 7:00 p.m., a meeting was held, including with the three parents of the victims. The victims’ families were very grateful for the efforts made by UTAMA, one of which was providing updated information on the search for the three victims. UTAMA had dispatched 13 Bramatala student members along with the Chair, the Head of Student Affairs, and one representative from each of the three victims’ families to Bali.
January 1, 2008 Coordination continued to obtain information on the progress of the search for the three missing students. January 2, 2008 At 9:00 a.m., a coordination meeting was again led by the Rector of UTAMA with the relevant structural officials to take further steps by Widyatama University in the search for the three students. Among others:
(1) Continue to coordinate with local authorities.
(2) Assigning the Head of Student Affairs and the Vice Rector for Development to depart with representatives of the victims’ families to the scene of the incident.
(3) Continuing to monitor the conditions and developments at the scene of the incident.
(4) Inviting the victims’ parents to provide explanations and information about the three victims.
(5) Providing updates on developments and information at any time by the contact person at the scene of the incident.
At 1:00 p.m., journalists from various electronic and print media outlets were present to confirm developments. It was reported that coordination with the Head of SAR Denpasar was underway. BASARNAS had contributed one helicopter to assist in the search process. The search process was organized into seven teams coordinated by the local military commander. This Search and Rescue operation had entered its fourth day and was planned to last for seven days. The main parties involved would make every effort in terms of manpower, materials, facilities, and resources to assist in the search for the three students.
- January 3, 2008, day 5 of the search At 12:30 p.m., there were still no signs of the three students in Bali. The weather conditions were very bad, making it impossible to fly the helicopter for an aerial search, even though the helipad had been prepared at the Besakih Bali command post. Therefore, the search was still concentrated on land.
- January 4, 2008, Day 6 of the search At 10:30 AM, the search was still being conducted on the ground because it was still not possible to use helicopters. The parents of the three students were already in Besakih, Bali, to observe and monitor the Search and Rescue process directly. The search team had grown to eight or nine teams.
- January 5, 2008, day 7 of the search At 1:00 p.m., the search was still unsuccessful, but the helicopter was able to fly. However, it was unable to reach higher altitudes due to thick fog covering the peak of Mount Agung. January 6, 2008, Sunday At 3:00 PM, the search for the three missing students yielded results with the discovery of one of the victims’ bodies, though it could not yet be identified. The body was later identified as Mohammad Iqbal.
At 6:30 PM, a coordination meeting was held at the university to discuss the reception and handover of the victim’s body to his family. The rector left immediately for Bali to lead and coordinate the evacuation and delivery of the body. The Bandung team would receive and hand over the body to the family in Depok.At 3:00 a.m., the Bandung Team (Operational Vice Rector, Dean & Head of FBM and related Rectorate officials, Bramatala) headed to Cengkareng Airport to receive and hand over the bodies to the families and escort them to their final resting place at the Joglo Cemetery in West Jakarta. The Chairman of the Widyatama Foundation from Jakarta was present at the funeral home to provide assistance and accompany the deceased to the cemetery.
- January 7 – present Coordinating with the field team: SAR Team, Basarnas, and Bramatala – Widyatama and Wanadri representing the University. On campus, the academic community is in mourning and observing a period of grief. *** Public Relations & Marketing
