The body of a Jordanian tourist who vanished while swimming at night off Bali’s Batu Belig Beach has been found adrift in coastal waters five days after his disappearance, local search and rescue authorities confirmed on Saturday.
A Morning Discovery by Fishermen
The 27-year-old Jordanian tourist was first spotted floating by a group of local fishermen at approximately 8:30 a.m. local time near the waters off Kedonganan, around 12 nautical miles from Kelan Beach.
“By 8:45, we received the coordinates and immediately dispatched our team to the location,” said Dudu Librana, the Bali Search and Rescue (Basarnas) field coordinator, speaking in Denpasar.
Search and rescue teams deployed both a rubber boat and a jet ski to the site. The recovery team returned to shore at 10:15 a.m., where the body was formally identified by family members.
Vanished in the Dark
The Jordanian tourist disappeared on the night of May 6, reportedly swept away by powerful currents around 12:30 a.m. while swimming at Batu Belig Beach in Badung Regency.
Authorities were alerted early the next morning, launching a multi-day search operation across sea and air.
The effort faced repeated setbacks. On May 8, fishermen had spotted a floating body roughly 20 kilometers west of Kelan Beach. But efforts to retrieve it were halted due to rough sea conditions, including waves nearing two meters in height and equipment nearing its operational limits.
The following day, May 9, the rescue operation expanded to include aerial surveillance via a Fly Bali helicopter, as well as intensified sweeps by both maritime and ground search units. But no sightings or recoveries were made.
On Saturday, the Basarnas team resumed operations at dawn, departing from Kelan Beach at 6:45 a.m. Their efforts led to the successful discovery of the victim less than two hours later.
A Community Effort
The search, which concluded with the identification and evacuation of the tourist’s body, was a collaboration among numerous agencies and community members.
Participants included the Bali Regional Police’s Ditsamapta unit, the Denpasar Water Police, local village security, Badung’s beach lifeguards, the Bali Ranger Community, Nusa Medika Clinic, and members of the fishing community.
“The victim was immediately transported to Prof. Ngoerah Hospital by Nusa Medika ambulance for further procedures,” Librana added.
With the recovery complete, Basarnas Bali has officially closed the search-and-rescue operation.
