Facts about Students Trapped in Optical Cable in South Jakarta Until Unable to Speak

Dream - A student named Sultan Rif'at Alfatih got trapped in an optical fiber cable that crossed the road and couldn't speak. The incident happened to a 20-year-old man while crossing Pangeran Antasari Road, South Jakarta, in January 2023.

The incident caused his throat bone to break due to the cable entanglement, and his condition has not improved. He still cannot speak and eat and drink normally.

In response to the incident, Sultan's father, Fatih, plans to report the cable company if they do not take responsibility. Here are the facts as reported by Merdeka.com.

Chronology of Events

Fatih explained that the incident started when Sultan was about to go with his friends on a motorcycle. His neck got entangled in the cable while passing through South Jakarta, precisely on Antasari Road, on January 5, 2023, at around 10:00 PM.

Initially, there was a car queueing in front of Sultan's motorcycle. Unbeknownst to them, there was a dangling or loose cable. Then the cable got stuck on the SUV.

"There was a queue and there was a cable crossing, but my son didn't know there was a cable crossing because he was behind the car," said Fatih.

Although it got stuck on the SUV, the cable did not break and returned to its original position when Sultan passed by. Sultan immediately fell due to the cable hitting his neck. Sultan was taken to Fatmawati Hospital, South Jakarta, for first aid.

"This cable is FU Fiber Optic, inside it contains fiber threads or wires that did not break, so it was carried by the Pajero car until a certain point, then the cable came loose and snapped the person behind, which is my son," he said.

Current Condition of Sultan

Until now, Sultan's father said that his condition has not improved. The cable entanglement in his neck caused his throat bone to break, making him unable to speak and eat and drink normally.

Regarding treatment, Fatih admitted to bearing some of Sultan's medical expenses. The process of treating his son is not fully covered by BPJS (Indonesia's national health insurance).

"Currently, I am still using personal funds. It cannot be calculated yet since the beginning of the accident. Because for the expenses at Fatmawati Hospital, some of them are covered by BPJS," he said.

Planning to Report to the Police

As a result of the incident and the harm caused to his son, Fatih plans to report it to the legal authorities. This action will be taken if the company does not cooperate in taking responsibility.

"Yes, next week I plan to report Bali Tower to the Jakarta Metro Police," Fatih said, as quoted from  Merdeka.com, on Monday, July 31, 2023.

According to him, the family will wait for the company's goodwill until Thursday, August 3, 2023.

"I will give them until Thursday, if they are not cooperative, I will proceed (report to the police). It concerns safety and life-threatening due to their negligence," he said.

Response from Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, Heru Budi

Regarding Sultan's case, the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, also commented on it. He asked the cable provider to tidy up through the integrated utility network (SJUT).

"I have been in office since October 2022. Until now, and in the future, I don't want messy optical cables. So I ask for them to be tidied up," Heru said at the Jakarta City Hall on Friday, July 28, 2023.

To prevent it from happening again, Heru asked the responsible party to tidy up. In addition, he also asked the Bina Marga Agency to monitor the condition of the cables.

"When it was not tidy before, it was the responsibility of the previous cable installer. But I ask that those who build fiber optic or cable trenches must make it tidy. I ask the relevant agency to monitor it," Heru said.