The death toll from severe flooding on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali has risen to 14, up from nine earlier this week, officials confirmed on Thursday.
Two people remain missing in the island’s capital, Denpasar, where 125 rescuers are combing through debris and flood-hit neighborhoods. More than 500 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters set up in schools and mosques.
Torrential rains on Tuesday and Wednesday unleashed widespread flooding across Denpasar and six of Bali’s eight regions, cutting off major roads — including access routes to the island’s international airport — and triggering landslides.
“Most of the victims were swept away after rivers overflowed,” said disaster agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari.
Authorities confirmed that no foreign nationals are among the casualties and that flights at Bali’s busy airport remain unaffected.
Meanwhile, military and rescue teams are working to pump water from inundated buildings and clear streets buried under thick mud, rocks, and debris. Around 500 soldiers have been mobilized for the cleanup effort.
“The peak of the rain has passed and generally the waters have receded. Now, we are focusing on clearing mud from the streets,” Abdul added.
The floods also wreaked havoc in neighboring East Nusa Tenggara province, where four additional deaths were reported.
The disaster is among the worst weather-related incidents in recent years for Bali, a global tourism hotspot now grappling with recovery as residents count their losses.
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