Austrians missing in Bali

A holidaymaker was swept into the sea by meter-high waves on the beach, and four men then threw themselves into the ocean. Two of them – the Austrian and a German – have been missing since then. This was reported by the “Kronen Zeitung”.

The helpless drifting vacationer was rescued. But the Lower Austrian and a German were caught by the current according to “Krone” and pulled further and further out to sea. A search for the missing is underway.

“We continue to look for them,” said the head of the local emergency services, Chakra Negara, on Friday of the German Press Agency. “But it’s raining, there are strong winds and the waves are high.” It’s the rainy season in Bali right now.

According to the report, the missing person is a Lower Austrian. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not want to confirm this, also for reasons of data protection. Rather, the ministry spoke of “an Austrian citizen who is missing at sea south-east of Bali/Indonesia”.

“The search and rescue operation for the missing person is still ongoing. We are in contact with the local authorities through our embassy in Jakarta and the Austrian honorary consulate in Bali,” said spokeswoman Gabriele Juen.

The small neighboring island of Nusa Penida, which belongs to the province of Bali, is popular with diving fans from all over the world. Just on Sunday, a tourist from Malaysia died in the same region trying to save another person from drowning.

Similar tragedies have unfolded in Australia and the Cook Islands in recent days. In the island paradise in the South Pacific, a New Zealander died on Tuesday trying to save her daughter in distress from the sea.

Also on Tuesday, a man was killed in Australia while trying to help his daughter who got caught in a current. And on Sunday, a police officer died south of Sydney trying to save his son from drowning. In all cases the children survived.