8 Foreigners Missing in High Seas Off Bali

The Jakarta Globe, July 05, 2012


Denpasar. Eight tourists from Germany and Britain went missing on Thursday while taking a boat to Nusa Lembongan Island, southeast of Bali, to go diving amid rough seas.

M. Hernanto, the head of the Bali search and rescue agency, said the tourists were from a group of 12 who left for the island on board a rented boat in the afternoon.

After contact with the vessel was lost, a search team was sent out to the area. Officials only managed to find four members of the group, all foreigners, Hernanto said.

The search will continue on Friday for those missing, he added.

The Jakarta Globe, July 06, 2012


Denpasar. Eight European tourists who went missing in the waters off Bali on Thursday were found in good health on Friday after their boat reportedly drifted away while they were diving, leaving them stranded in the water.

“Bali Police's search and rescue team, with the help of fishermen, have successfully found alive the eight foreign tourists who were floating in Nusa Penida waters, Klungkung,” Bali Police chief Ins. Gen. Budi Gunawan said while visiting Benoa port, Denpasar after supervising the evacuation process.

The tourists have reportedly returned to their hotel in Tulamben in the Karangasem district. Bad weather, high waves and strong winds might have contributed to the mishap.

“After they dived for the third time, their boat went missing,” Budi said. “Their boat might have drifted away from the previous position.”

The tourism agency and diving company hired by the tourists are being investigated by police.

The eight tourists were part of a group of 12 from France, Britain, Italy and Germany.