Fears for British tourist, 63, after he disappears while snorkelling with his wife in Bali
The 68-year-old disappeared in the waters off Blue Lagoon Beach in Karangasem
His wife was concerned when he did not return to shore on Wednesday afternoon
A search and rescue operation was launched last night at 20.25
Operations continued today, but the man has not yet been found
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A search and rescue operation is currently underway after a British senior citizen was swept out to sea while snorkelling with his wife in Bali yesterday afternoon.
The 68-year-old man disappeared while snorkeling with his wife in the pristine waters of the Blue Lagoon Beach resort in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia.
His panic-stricken wife, who also remains unnamed, informed local authorities of his disappearance at around 10am. 5:30 p.m., an hour after she allegedly emerged from the beach’s indigo blue water herself and began waiting for her husband’s return.
A search and rescue operation for the British national began a few hours later at 8.25pm, according to Karangasem Search and Rescue Team coordinator Gusti Ngurah Eka Widnyana.
Rescuers search for a 68-year-old British tourist in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. The victim went snorkeling with his wife and she alerted authorities when her husband did not return to the beach
The photo shows the Blue Lagoon Beach in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, where the elderly man was snorkeling
“The search for the victim is still being carried out by a joint team,” Widnyana said this morning.
‘So far the victim has not been found.’
Widnyana initially sent six rescue team members to the area in a speedboat to search for the elderly man.
Gede Darmada, the head of the Bali Basarna government office, told local media today that the search area for the missing British national has since been divided into three sectors to increase the likelihood of finding the man.
He added: ‘Yesterday’s search yielded no results and today the search and rescue operation began this morning.
Widnyana, meanwhile, said he hopes the senior citizen will be found as soon as possible, while local media reports officials had urged snorkelers to be aware of the ever-changing weather conditions in Bali.
The incident comes after a 44-year-old Italian woman miraculously survived being washed out to sea after being hit by a strong wave at Klungkung Beach in Indonesia in June.
A search and rescue operation for the British national began at around 8.25pm last night after his wife reported him missing earlier that afternoon
Tourism in Bali is rebounding after Covid-19, with foreign arrivals expected to reach a pre-pandemic level of six million by 2025, the island’s tourism association said.
The island is now trying to attract more tourists and workers to its tropical shores by offering a more flexible visa, the country’s tourism minister said.
In recent years, some Asian holiday destinations have seen an influx of ‘digital nomads’, or long-term visitors from abroad, who combine travel and recreation with remote work.
Tourism Minister Sandigaga Uno said in a post on his Instagram account that digital nomads could now visit Indonesia and work for up to six months using a socio-cultural visa.
“I am more and more convinced that the number of foreign tourists interested in staying in Indonesia will increase and will automatically have an impact on economic revival,” he said.