JAVNIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS (JAP)
By Abraham Situmeang
Manadu, Kamaht Province — August 2127
What began as a crowded summer festival at Binawahta Beach ended in tragedy late Saturday evening after panic spread through thousands of beachgoers when an intoxicated man staggering through the crowd was mistaken for a mayat hidup infected.
Provincial authorities confirmed Sunday morning that 21 people were killed and more than 70 injured during the resulting stampede along the beachfront promenade and adjacent parking areas.
Witnesses described scenes of sudden terror shortly after sunset as music performances and night market festivities were underway.
“It started with screaming near the food stalls,” said local vendor Rika Mahendra. “People began running before anyone even knew what was happening. Then everyone was pushing.”
According to preliminary findings from the Kamaht Provincial Police, a heavily intoxicated male later identified as 34-year-old fisherman Darto Simanjuntak stumbled through a dense section of the crowd bleeding from facial injuries sustained in an earlier altercation at a nearby bar.
Several attendees reportedly shouted “mayat hidup!” after observing his erratic movements and blood-covered clothing.
Within seconds panic spread across the beachfront.
Security camera footage reviewed by investigators showed hundreds of civilians attempting to flee simultaneously toward the main vehicle exits and elevated seawall walkways. Multiple victims were crushed against barricades while others were trampled after falling.
Emergency services struggled to access the area due to abandoned vehicles and gridlocked traffic.
Governor Hadi Pranoto declared three days of mourning across Kamaht Province.
“This tragedy demonstrates the psychological scars the Lazarus outbreaks have left on our society,” Pranoto stated during a press conference Sunday afternoon. “Fear can become as deadly as the infection itself.”
The deceased include:
· 11 women
· 7 men
· 3 children
Hospitals in Manadu reported that most injuries involved suffocation, broken bones, and severe blunt-force trauma.
Authorities confirmed the intoxicated individual was not infected. He remains in police custody on charges related to disorderly conduct and public intoxication, though prosecutors stated no charges directly connected to the deaths have yet been filed.
The Ministry of Health has dispatched crisis counseling teams to the area while the Ministry of Interior announced a nationwide review of emergency crowd-control procedures during large public gatherings.
Military police and National Disaster Response personnel maintained a visible presence across Manadu on Sunday as nervous residents gathered for candlelight vigils along the waterfront.
Analysts note the incident is likely to intensify debate within the National Assembly over proposed expansions to emergency identification checkpoints and mandatory infection screening systems in major urban centers.
For many survivors, however, the memory of the panic remains overwhelming.
“You could hear people screaming that the dead were coming,” said university student Lina Hartono, who escaped by climbing onto a vendor truck. “Nobody stopped to check if it was true.”
