TENS of thousands of people today filled the streets in Bandung to mourn a governor’s son, who was found dead in a Swiss river last week after a search that captivated Indonesia.

The disappearance of Emmeril “Eril” Kahn Mumtadz gained national attention last month, with Indonesians posting images and videos online of the eldest son of Ridwan Kamil, the governor of Indonesia’s most populous province West Java.

The 22-year-old disappeared in the Aare River in the Swiss capital of Bern on May 26, while swimming with his sister and friends.

Swiss authorities retrieved his body from a dam after a 12-day search and repatriated it to Indonesia yesterday.

Massive crowds gathered in Bandung, the capital of West Java, today, to bid goodbye to the victim ahead of a burial broadcast on national television, where sobbing mourners were seen waving to his family as they travelled to a cemetery alongside his body.

Some mourners travelled from other Indonesian islands to pay their respects, reported local media.

“I believe Eril is happy now and he is at peace. We are also at peace and we have accepted what happened,” his father told reporters outside the cemetery.

Ridwan is a former mayor of Bandung and one of the most popular politicians in Indonesia, frequently named as one of the figures expected to run in the 2024 presidential election.

President Joko Widodo on Friday said he contacted the governor to pay his “deepest condolences”.

Cabinet members and politicians also paid their respects, welcoming the remains on arrival in Jakarta and meeting Kamil before the funeral.

“Eril was a good person. God willing, he will be granted the best place next to God,” said Ganjar Pranowo, the Central Java governor who is also a favourite to win the presidential election. – AFP, June 13, 2022.