Authorities searching for body of Belarusian national who reportedly fell off Pecatu cliff while taking selfie
The search for a 34-year-old Belarusian man who fell off Tanjung Mebulu cliff in Pecatu, South Kuta on Sunday evening is still ongoing, the Search and Rescue Agency in Bali (Basarnas Bali) said today.
In a statement received by Coconuts Bali, the agency said they received information about the foreign national around 6.45pm on Sunday, adding that the victim appeared to have died from the fall at the bottom of the cliff.
Authorities have identified the victim by one name, Siarhei, a 34-year-old man from Belarus. His passport and phone was found in a rented car at the parking lot, Basarnas Bali said.
Local media, meanwhile, reported his full name as Siarhei Barbushyn and said he might have fallen while taking a selfie.
Basarnas Bali then sent a rescue team to the location, but they were unable to retrieve the body as it was getting very dark and the cliff was about 130-meter high.
Yesterday morning, another team was sent to evacuate the victim, but he was no longer where he was last seen.
“We sent one person to the bottom of the cliff, but the victim was nowhere to be seen,” Hari Adi Purnomo, who heads Basarnas Bali, was quoted in the statement.
It is suspected that high tides may have swept away the victim’s body.
Basarnas Bali said they are still searching for the victim’s body today, and have used a helicopter to widen their search. However, Siarhei’s body has yet to be found.
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