Two British foreign tourists who got lost on Mount Agung Bali, have been found alive. They are Matthew and Andrew Forster, sons of GB News reporter Katharine Forster.
The head of Basarnas Bali I Nyoman Sidakarya, in an official statement in Denpasar on Thursday, July 4, 2024, said the two men were found thanks to the swift action of the community and the joint search and rescue team, which heard their scream for help.
“From the information of the community and the team we dug up, there was a voice shouting for help, then at 6.15 pm, we went to the location of the scream, and the target was found in a healthy condition at an altitude of 1,700 meters above sea level,” he said, as reported by DetikBali.
Describing her sons as “very lucky to be alive to tell the story,” Mrs. Forster said they had used their scout training and watched extensive Bear Grylls videos to collect rainwater and build a shelter.
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The search and rescue team that participated in the search initially had difficulty finding the tourist’s position. However, officers then heard a scream. At that moment, the team moved towards the direction of the screams and managed to find the two tourists.
It was revealed that the two climbed on Mount Agung Bali the morning of Wednesday, July 3, 2024. They got lost on Mount Agung because they did not memorize the road when they were about to descend. Their friend contacted the British Consulate General in Bali and finally forwarded it to Basarnas (Search And Rescue National Agency).
The report finally entered Basarnas Bali from the British Consulate on the afternoon of July 4, but there was no information about the climbing route’s and starting point except for the discovery of a motorcycle parked near the climbing route, precisely Pasar Agung Temple, Bebandem.
“From the discovery of the motorcycle, the police dug up information that the motorcycle had a rental number, and it was indeed the tourist we were looking for who owned the rental motorcycle,” said Sidakarya.
After an intensive search, the search and rescue team finally found the two foreign tourists in safe condition at an altitude of 1,700 meters above sea level (Mdpl). They were monitored until they made it down the mountain safely.
“Searches at night (on Mount Agung Bali) are usually hampered by limited visibility due to fog and lack of light,” said Sidakarya.
