More details have finally been released over the death of a Tunisian man who was found to be dead after missing in Bali for more than two weeks.
Mohammed Aziz Farhat was fatally hit by a box truck early in the morning on Jl. Raya Kuta on Oct. 18, Kuta Police told local media on Tuesday.
Kuta Police Chief Comr. I Wayan Sumara said that a laundry box truck hit Farhat at 70 kilometers per hour, driven by East Nusa Tenggara man, Yan Alexander Dasiskus Balbesi, 40.
Farhat was walking on the edge of the road and allegedly hit from behind. He was dragged as far as three meters and went under the truck, according to Sumara.
The driver apparently admitted to speeding off and fleeing the scene.
“I was scared, so I left him (Farhat),” Tribun Bali quoted Balbesi as saying.
Farhat was then found by a taxi driver who rushed him to nearby Graha Asih Hospital, which referred him to the bigger Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar.
But it was too late.
“The victim was referred to Sanglah Hospital, but while transiting, the victim took his last breath,” Sumara said.
A more than two-week-long search with a dedicated social media campaign looking for the 25-year-old, had been going since Farhat was not seen or heard from Oct. 18—when he was last spotted going out from Troppo Zone Puri Rama Resort Kuta. A police report had been filed and Farhat’s disappearance was reported to the Tunisian Consulate.
It was realized, however, after 17 days missing that Farhat’s body was in the morgue at Sanglah Hospital.
Farhat, who had been working as a flight attendant for Qatar Airways was due to return back to work on Oct. 31, but concern was raised when he never clocked in.
Farhat was allegedly walking back drunk when he was hit. An autopsy performed at Sanglah reportedly found that in addition to suffering from a number of abrasions and bruises, Farhat had fractured ribs and his liver torn.
Balbesi, the truck driver, could face charges carrying five years prison, according to local reports.
Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to fix a translation error. We apologize for the mistake.
