A Chinese tourist died on Saturday after she was swept away by a huge wave while standing near the edge of the Devil’s Tear cove on the island of Nusa Lembongan, located just off the coast of Bali. The accident reportedly happened while she was taking a selfie.
“When they arrived, the victim and her group has been informed by their tour guide to stay away from the edge while taking photos,” Klungkung Police spokesman Putu Gede Ardana told Tribunnews.
The victim, identified as 38-year-old Li Huiling by local media outlets, was part of a tourist group visiting the popular photo site on Saturday.
Ardana said Li had stood too close to the edge of the cliff while taking photos and got swept away when a huge wave hit.
As reported by Tribunnews, local residents immediately tried to rescue her from the waters. They successfully retrieved her after 20 minutes and she was promptly taken to a nearby community health center (Puskesmas). Unfortunately, Li reportedly died en route.
“The victim died while she was on her way to the Puskesmas,” Ardana said.
This popular spot on the island of Nusa Lembongan, located just southeast of Bali, has drawn many tourists looking to take pictures or videos with waves spectacularly smashing against the cove as their background.
Over the years, however, those huge waves, which often smash violently against the rocky cove, have either injured or swept away several tourists. In May, an Indian tourist went missing after he was swept away while also reportedly taking a selfie at the Devil’s Tear.
Plans to put up a safety guardrail along this cliff have long been in the works, but have repeatedly been postponed due to a lack of funding. I Nengah Sukasta, who heads the Klungkung Tourism Agency, said plans to do so this year have yet to be confirmed.
“As it turns out, plans to build a safety guardrail along Devil’s Tear cove in Nusa Lembongan with the help of ASITA (Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies) have not yet been confirmed,” Sukasta said on Friday as quoted by Tribunnews.
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