[CYPRUS TIMES] At least 10 Indonesians died when they were swept away by waves while meditating!

The victims were members of a group of 23 people who were meditating while holding hands 12 people were rescued

At least 10 Indonesians, who were meditating on a beach, died Saturday night when they were swept away by waves, police said.

The victims were members of a group of 23 people who were meditating, holding hands, on a beach in Payangan, East Java province.

"They were very close to the sea and could not be saved when tidal waves swept them away," local police chief Heri Purnomo told TVOne."

Ten bodies were recovered from the ocean and 12 people were rescued. A 40-year-old man is missing.

Purnomo was unable to say what kind of ritual they were practicing, but said the guru survived the tragedy and will be questioned.

The military commander of Batara Pangaribuan province told TVOne that the beach is usually guarded and closed after sunset, but the group managed to enter.

Authorities have urged tourists not to swim or approach the water because of the danger of waves.

Last year, two Indonesian tourists died when they were swept away by waves on a beach in Malang, in eastern Java.

Source: APM

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