Cyclone Senyar: Six Fishermen Dead, More Still Missing in Riau

December 7, 2025 | 09:20 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The extreme weather caused by tropical cyclone Senyar at the end of last November is suspected to have claimed many lives at sea. Throughout last week, six fishermen were found dead in the waters of Rokan Hilir, Riau, Indonesia.

Rokan Hilir SAR Unit Coordinator, Dhoni, said all the victims were found by Panipahan fishermen in Pasir Limau Kapas District. The latest discovery was the bodies of two fishermen on Saturday, December 6, 2025. "The first at 11 a.m. The last at 6.15 p.m. The bodies were immediately taken to the local port and buried there," Dhoni said on Saturday night.

Dhoni mentioned that one of the six bodies found had been identified by the family. The victim was known to be from Tanjung Balai Asahan, North Sumatra. There is no confirmation for the other five, even though the findings have been announced.

Since November 28, two days after Cyclone Senyar entered Sumatra (landfall), the Rokan Hilir SAR team itself received reports of a dozen missing fishermen. During the search, the team managed to rescue 7 stranded fishermen in the mangrove forests around Berkey Island, Bangko District. Later, it was discovered that their boat had been hit by a huge wave. Then, two fishermen were also found in the mangrove forest of Sinaboi District, after being lost for two days.

"The team immediately evacuated the fishermen to the nearest hospital and community health center," said Doni, adding, "They were weak when found because they had no food and could not contact anyone."

The Rokan Hilir SAR team, Riau, still attempting to find the two missing fishermen. Photo: Rokan Hilir SAR Team Document

The Rokan Hilir SAR team ceased the search on Friday, December 5, after seven days. They are still looking for two local fishermen.

All Fishermen's Nets Were Severed

The extreme weather caused by the storm also resulted in fishermen losing their fishing gear. Safrizal, a fisherman from Panipahan, who was interviewed by Tempo a few days ago, claimed to have lost tens of millions of rupiah after 20 of his nets were severed and carried away by high waves. He also revealed that other fishermen suffered even greater losses, with 60 ropes cut.

"Only a fraction could be salvaged. But even those were damaged," he said. He also expressed, "The waves were extremely big. The nets couldn't be pulled. We were just focused on saving lives. Even if we searched, we wouldn't find them."

The acting Governor of Riau, SF. Hariyanto, sent a letter to all regents and mayors regarding the dissemination of weather early warnings. Following the press release from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Riau is predicted to experience moderate to heavy rainfall in the coming week.

Read: BMKG Says It Warned Sumatra Authorities About Tropical Cyclone Senyar 8 Days in Advance

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