Jakarta, IO – As many as 25 tourists were trapped on Kelingking beach, Nusa Penida, Bali when bushes in the area caught fire on Sunday (30/7) afternoon.
The fire started around 4:30pm WITA and quickly spread due to strong wind. As a result, it cut off access to the beach.
Nusa Penida Police chief Ida Bagus Putra Sumerta said that the fire emerged from under the cliff and the flame quickly climbed up the slope. The fire burned approximately two hectares of land.
“As a result, tourists who are on the beach are trapped and cannot climb to the top of the cliff because the only footpath was on fire,” Putra said, per CNNIndonesia, Monday (31/7).
A fire brigade was deployed an hour later but they struggled to extinguish the fire.
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The police, military, and the community have also been mobilized. The fire was extinguished a few hours later at 7:30pm.
All the 25 tourists trapped have been rescued. Only one, a tourist from France, reportedly suffered a minor injury to his head after being hit by a rock. (at)