One foreigner is missing after a rafting accident yesterday in Ubud, authorities said.
Sixty-four-year-old American Robinaugh Clifford Neil went whitewater rafting with nine other foreigners yesterday afternoon on Ayung River in Kedewatan Village.
Divided into two groups, the tourists were floating on their rafts on their second session when a sudden strong current capsized one of the rafts.
The members on the ill-fated raft tried in vain to reach out to the second raft to avoid the flip over, only to cause both rafts to tumble.
The rafting guides who were present immediately evacuated both rafts, but unfortunately lost sight of Neil.
Ubud Police Chief I Gusti Ngurah Yudistira told Coconuts Bali today that the search continues for the American man.
The other rafters, who are tourists from Australia, India, and Germany, are reportedly safe and sound and only suffered minor scrapes. Two local lifeguards also survived the incident.
The search for the missing American began yesterday but was suspended at around 8pm yesterday for safety reasons. The authorities, including personnel from the Ubud Police, the Search and Rescue Agency, and local guides, to name a few, resumed searching for Neil this morning at around 7am.
The local guides, according to Yudistira, had followed safety procedures prior to rafting with the groups, including conducting a briefing on safety and emergency situations, as well as equipping them with life vests and helmets.
