Flooding struck Denpasar City and Badung Regency in Bali on Sunday, the 14th of December, at 2 AM Central Indonesian Time, resulting in the death of one foreign national.
The foreign national, a woman, was swept away by floodwaters on Krisnantara Street, Tibubeneng Village, North Kuta, Badung, Bali. The body, whose identity, age, and nationality have not yet been released as of the publication of this article, was found lodged in a culvert at 8.05 AM.
The Head of the Public Relations Sub-Division of the Badung Police, Aiptu Ni Nyoman Ayu Inastuti, confirmed that the foreigner was swept away by strong currents during heavy rainfall in the Tibubeneng area early on Sunday morning. It is also understood that the victim attempted to wade through the floodwaters while riding a motorcycle. According to Inastuti’s report, the motorcycle the victim was riding at the time of the incident could not be evacuated as it was wedged in a culvert, and the water level remained high.
“The victim, a foreigner whose identity has not been disclosed, was swept away by floodwaters while crossing Krisnantara Street, Tibubeneng Village, North Kuta, Badung. The victim was trapped between the bridge wall and a gap in the wooden planks underneath,” Inastuti told the press on Sunday.
The deceased has been taken to Prof. dr. I.G.N.G. Ngoerah General Hospital and is currently undergoing identification by authorities.
In addition to the fatality, several foreign tourists were also trapped in villas in the Denpasar area when the floods struck. Upon arriving at the location, the Denpasar City Regional Disaster Management Agency (Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah Kota Denpasar or BPBD Kota Denpasar) team used rubber boats to immediately evacuate the foreign tourists, who were scheduled to return to their countries later that day.
Additionally, according to BPBD Kota Denpasar, the floodwaters on Sunday managed to reach an adult’s chest, measuring approximately 120 centimetres in height. The agency also recorded, based on preliminary field data, that 191 families were affected by the floods. Data collection, as of the publication of this article, is still ongoing to confirm the total number of residents affected and the extent of the damage.
“165 people were evacuated to a safe place in Denpasar City,” said the Head of the Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center at National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana or BNPB), Abdul Muhari, on the following Monday (the 15th of December).