Bali floods claim life of foreign woman; others evacuated from tourist areas

A foreign national has died after being swept away by floodwaters on Krisnantara Road in Tibubeneng Village, North Kuta, Badung, Bali, following heavy rainfall early on Sunday, 14 December 2025.

Police said the victim was a foreign woman whose identity has yet to be confirmed. Her body was later found trapped inside a culvert beneath a bridge after heavy rain triggered flooding in several parts of Badung and Denpasar from the early morning hours.

Deputy Head of Public Relations at the Badung Police Station, Aiptu Ni Nyoman Ayu Inastuti, said the woman was carried away by strong currents while attempting to cross a flooded roadway. “The victim, a foreign national whose identity is still unknown, was swept away while travelling along Krisnantara Road in Tibubeneng Village,” she said, as quoted by detikBali.

The woman was riding a motorbike at the time of the incident. Police said the vehicle remains lodged inside the bridge drainage system and has not yet been recovered due to high water levels. “The victim was trapped between the bridge wall and wooden debris carried by the current,” Ayu Inastuti added.

The head of the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office, I Nyoman Sidakarya, said his team received a report of the discovery at around 08:05 WITA and immediately deployed five personnel to the scene. “According to the report, the victim was trapped underneath and stuck in a pipe,” he said in a written statement.

Rescue officials said floodwaters at the location reached around 100 centimetres, or waist height for an adult. Continued rainfall caused water levels to rise further, prompting swift action by a joint search and rescue team with assistance from local residents.

The victim’s body was evacuated at about 10:30 a.m. local time and taken to Prof. IGN Ngoerah Denpasar Hospital for further handling. Police said the woman was found without identification and was wearing black trousers but no top when recovered.

Ayu Inastuti said the woman was believed to have been swept away at around 1:10 a.m., during peak rainfall. Her body was later found at about 4:40 a.m. after water levels began to recede. Authorities said efforts to identify the victim and determine her nationality and place of residence are ongoing.

Meanwhile, flooding again hit several areas across Bali on Sunday, inundating residential neighbourhoods and tourist accommodation. In Denpasar, authorities reported that a number of foreign nationals were trapped inside a villa as floodwaters rose.

According to the Denpasar City Operations Centre, nine foreign nationals were initially reported trapped at Villa Kusuma Living in Padangsambian Klod, West Denpasar.

However, when the Denpasar City Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) rapid response team arrived with rubber boats, only four foreign tourists were at the site. All four were evacuated immediately, as they were scheduled to return to their home countries later that day.

The BPBD said the evacuated tourists expressed appreciation for the swift response by emergency personnel. Evacuations also continued in other flood-affected areas, including Jalan Gunung Athena in West Denpasar, where floodwaters reached chest height and submerged homes.

Flooding was also reported along Jalan Gunung Tangkuban Perahu in the Buana Permai residential area of Padangsambian, West Denpasar. Around 20 people, including toddlers and children, were evacuated from the area, although officials said some residents declined evacuation despite rising water levels.

Authorities confirmed that Tibubeneng Village in North Kuta, where the fatal incident occurred, was among the areas affected. Police and disaster management agencies said monitoring and post-flood response efforts are ongoing across Bali, and urged residents and visitors to remain cautious during heavy rainfall and avoid crossing flooded road