Two people remain missing on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, officials said on Friday, as waters began receding after flooding killed at least 16 people this week, most of them swept away when rivers burst their banks.
Torrential rains on Tuesday and Wednesday caused the fast-rising floods in Denpasar and six of Bali's eight regions, blocking major roads and access to the island's international airport. There were also landslides in some areas.
The search for the two missing people was still ongoing on Friday, said I Nyoman Sidakarya, the head of Bali's search and rescue body.
Rapid development on the island did not take into account the need for sufficient drainage infrastructure, said I Nyoman Gede Maha Putra, an architecture and planning expert at the Warmadewa University in Denpasar.
"The city planning does not consider disasters," he told Reuters. "All of the infrastructure construction is geared toward making Bali more attractive to tourists and investors."
Bali’s governor, I Wayan Koster, was quoted by local media as saying, however, that conversion of land use was not to blame for this week’s flooding in Denpasar.
The regional development planning body for the Bali government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tourism is Bali's main source of income, and last year, there were more than 6.3 million international tourist arrivals on the island, according to data from the country's Statistics Bureau. This exceeds tourist arrivals from 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic ground tourism to a halt.
Bali accounts for more than 40% of Indonesia's total tourist arrivals last year.
Türkiye's World Cup campaign came to a painful end on Friday as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay despite dominating large parts of their Group ...
A senior U.S. envoy is travelling to Switzerland for fresh nuclear talks with Iran, according to reports, signalling a renewed diplomatic push as Wash...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 20 June, covering the latest developments you need to know. ...
Russia is seeking to expand cooperation with Central Asian countries in the exploration, extraction and processing of rare earth metals, underlining t...
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has climbed to 933, including 245 deaths, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kam...
Türkiye's World Cup campaign came to a painful end on Friday as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay despite dominating large parts of their Group D clash.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 20 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Morocco captain and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will face trial in France after an appeals court ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.
Canada lit up their World Cup campaign with a thrilling, at times troubling night in Vancouver, while across the tournament, Mexico marched on, Scotland battled bravely in defeat, and the United States and Brazil underlined their growing intent.
One person was killed and dozens injured after two passenger trains collided near Bedford in central England on Friday, prompting a major emergency response, British Transport Police said.
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior U.S. official has said. Hezbollah has released a statement saying Israel must leave southern Lebanon. Israel has said it agrees to the ceasefire, but has said its armed forces won't leave Lebanon and will resume hostilities if attacked.
U.S. President Donald Trump sought a deal with Iran "out of deperation," Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said, in a statement on social media. Khamenei added that he himself "held a different view," to Trump, but allowed the agreement after receiving assurances from Iran's President.
Russia's defence ministry says its forces have captured the village of Yurkivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, according to the Interfax news agency. The claim could not be independently verified.
Jorge Messi, the father of football star Lionel Messi, is under medical supervision and is "progressing favourably" while recovering from an undisclosed health condition, according to a family statement.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency early on Saturday, escalating a blockade crisis that has paralysed parts of the country and placed growing pressure on his government.
Morocco captain and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will face trial in France after an appeals court ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has climbed to 933, including 245 deaths, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba has said.
A 46-year-old Italian tourist has died after a major fire tore through a beachfront hotel in the Dominican Republic, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,700 guests and staff.
Abu Dhabi is increasingly looking to China for the technology it needs to build a greener economy, with its energy chief saying the partnership is advancing faster than many people realise.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment