At least 10 people were killed in Indonesia on Sunday after a group meditating on a beach was swept away by the tide, police said.
the event occurred shortly after midnight on sunday on Payangan beachin the province of East Java, when a group of 23 people were holding hands meditating and were surprised by the tide.
“They were very close to the sea and could not save themselves when the tide came and swept them away”local police commander Hery Purnomo told the TVOne network, according to the AFP news agency.
So far, ten bodies have been recovered from the sea and 12 people have been rescued alive, while the whereabouts of a man in his 40s are unknown.
There are no details about the ritual the group was performing in this Muslim-majority region, Purnomo said, explaining that the meditation was led by a surviving guru who is being questioned.
Local media reported that some of the victims, from nearby towns, were relatives.
Tidal waves are common on Indonesian beaches, where safety measures are lacking.
Last year two domestic tourists died after being swept away by waves on a beach in the Malang district of East Java.
In 2019, five people who were on vacation on a beach in Lampung province died after being swept away by the tides.
