Australian tourist killed and two injured as snorkelling boat capsizes off Bali

Indonesia: A snorkelling boat carrying 13 people, including a number of Australian tourists, capsized in rough seas off Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on Friday, killing a Canberra woman and injuring two others, police said.

The Sea Dragon boat was on its way from a port in Bali to Nusa Penida, a popular tiny island near Bali, when it was overwhelmed by high waves, local police spokesperson Agus Widiono said.

The group was looking at underwater scenery when their boat was hit by a large wave that threw a 39-year-old woman, identified by police as Anna Maree, overboard. It was followed by a second wave that capsized the boat in Kelingking waters, Widiono said.

A nearby boat was rushed to rescue 12 survivors, including two local crew members and two injured tourists, from the choppy waters. Rescuers also found the body of Maree, the spokesperson said. She was taken to shore and flown to hospital but declared dead on arrival.

Local reports identified the two injured tourists as 28-year-old Gabriel Hijniakoff, from Brisbane, and Cintamani Warrington, 32, an Australian national living in Bali.

One of the injured tourists had burns on their upper thighs, possibly from engine heat, the reports said.

Survivors were treated at a nearby health clinic and are in stable condition. The two injured people were expected to be airlifted to a larger hospital in the provincial capital, Denpasar.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.