Rescue teams recover the body of a 16-month-old girl days after a sudden inundation swept her and her mother from their home, underscoring the acute risks of Bali’s rainy season.
CANGGU, Bali — In a tragic outcome following a severe flash flood, search and rescue teams on Thursday recovered the body of a 16-month-old girl who was swept away from her family home in Tabanan earlier this week. The operation continues urgently for her mother, who remains missing.
The infant, identified as Audri Natania Banafanua, was found by a combined SAR team on the shoreline of Batubelig Beach in Canggu, approximately 6.7 kilometers from where she and her mother, Lalu Juliana Dacosta Makun, were initially caught in the current.
“The child’s body was found at Batubelig,” confirmed I Nyoman Sidakarya, Head of the Bali office of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), in a statement to detikBali. After being alerted by local residents, the team verified the discovery and transported the remains to Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar for formal identification, which matched missing persons reports.
The disaster struck in the early hours of Wednesday morning when the Jemanik Subak irrigation canal in Marga, Tabanan, overflowed after intense rainfall. A sudden torrent of water engulfed the rented home where Semi Banafanu lived with his wife and two children.
According to witness accounts given to detikBali, the family attempted a frantic escape to higher ground within their housing complex. Mr. Banafanu managed to save his six-year-old daughter but was unable to reach his wife and youngest child as the powerful current swept them away. He was later found injured, trapped in bamboo debris.
“Now that we have recovered the toddler, the joint team is focusing its search on land and along the riverbanks. We are making every effort to find her mother,” stated Sidakarya, noting that operations are ongoing both on land and in nearby waterways.
The incident has cast a somber light on the very real dangers posed by sudden hydrometeorological events during Bali’s rainy season. It follows recent nationwide warnings from Indonesia’s meteorological agency about the potential for extreme rainfall, flooding, and landslides.
For Bali’s large community of residents and international visitors, the tragedy is a stark reminder to heed weather advisories, understand local geography—especially the risks near rivers and canals—and have emergency plans during periods of severe weather.
Hey Bali News advises readers to monitor official weather channels from BMKG and local authorities, particularly during the current high-alert period for heavy rain and strong winds across the island.
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