Rescue teams search for youngster, 21, washed away by wave while posing for pictures

This is the shocking moment a student was washed away by a huge wave while posing for pictures at a notorious coastal spot in Indonesia.

Rony Josua Simanjuntak, 21, from North Sumatra, was standing on wet rocks with several friends when the wave crashed into boulders sending whitewater rushing inwards at the Kedung Tumpang Beach in East Java on October 13.

Dramatic footage shows the youth smiling with arms outstretched before he was knocked off the jagged rocks jutting out of the coast. His friends, perched on the cliffs above, laughed before realising the horror of the situation as the ocean dragged their pal out of the lagoon and into the open sea.

Rescue teams are still searching for the missing youngster.

Iptu Bambang Kurniawan, head of the Pucanglaban Police, said Rony had arrived at the beach with 15 other university students in the morning.

He said: 'His friends did not dare to help at that time, because the waves were very big. Immediately, the victim was dragged by the waves into the middle of the sea. The others survived.'

Nanag Pujo, head of the Trenggalek search and rescue unit, said a search was launched involving three squads. One team scoured the sea on rubber boats deployed from Sine Beach, five miles west of Kedung Tumpang Beach, while two other groups searched along the cliffs where Rony disappeared.

He added: 'Because the terrain at Kedung Tumpang Beach was too rough, rubber boats were lowered from Sine Beach instead. Despite the sunny weather, the big waves were the main challenge we had to deal with.

'We are aware that young people and tourists like to visit this area to take pictures. But we advise them now to stay away or to avoid going close to the water. It is very dangerous.'

Muhamad Hariyadi, head of the Surabaya search and rescue office, said the mission was still ongoing on Wednesday, October 16, with no sign of the young man found.

Kedung Tumpang Beach in Tulungagung, East Java, is known for its striking coastal scenery of natural rock pools and lagoons. Instead of long sandy shores stretching across the coast, it has rugged rock formations and tidal pools.

However, the beautiful terrain is also dangerous during the high tide, when the churning waters can roll in and drag unsuspecting visitors into deeper waters.

In 2016, two tourists, Aris and Imam, both 25, were also washed away by a wave while taking selfies at the same beach.