Two tourists were tragically killed in an accident at Bali’s famous Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud as a tree collapsed and dropped on the two female foreign tourists.
The two ladies are from France and South Korea, and a third woman, who is likewise from South Korea, suffered severe injuries and is being treated at the hospital.
The Sacred Monkey Forest (a personal favorite of mine) is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bali and is visited by many if not most, visitors to the Island of the Gods at some point.
As reported by Channel News Asia, the accident was caused by a sudden and strong “gust of wind”.
Two tourists were killed on the Indonesian resort island of Bali after a large tree fell in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary on Tuesday (Dec 10).
The incident happened at about 12.10pm local time.
According to the management of the popular tourist attraction, the incident was caused by a “sudden and strong gust of wind”. Another tourist was injured.
The Jakarta Globe reported that the two tourists killed were both women – 32-year-old F Justine Christine from France and 42-year-old Kim Hyoeun from South Korea.
The third tourist, a 43-year-old Lee Sunni from South Korea, sustained severe injuries.
A video circulating on social media shows visitors walking through the sanctuary before stopping and turning around to flee. Moments later, a tree falls to the ground and crushes a woman. …
Following the incident, the sanctuary announced that it would be closed on Dec 11 and Dec 12. …
“As a forest conservation area dedicated to environmental preservation and the safety of our visitors, Sacred Monkey Forest Ubud carries out routine weekly and monthly maintenance and conservation work, including inspections of tree conditions and the surrounding environment,” the sanctuary said in a press statement.
“We also advise all visitors to remain vigilant and refrain from entering the area during rainy weather.”
In an earlier post on Instagram, the management said that the fallen tree was “in healthy condition”.
“This incident was caused by strong winds and extreme weather conditions beyond human control,” read the post on Tuesday.
“We remain committed to providing the best possible support to the victims, ensuring the safety of our visitors, and maintaining the harmonious balance of the natural environment within our sanctuary.”
I think the last few paragraphs are correct. The monkey forest is still a wildlife refuge, and despite the park (and many other facilities like it) being made to accommodate tourists, it still contains wild animals and vegetation that can’t be entirely controlled by humans.
What form the mentioned “support of the victims” will take is left to the imagination. Despite Indonesia charging 500,000 IDR Visa on Arrival fee for many foreign tourists – as well as a 150,000 IDR tourism levy – there doesn’t seem to be an official compensation fund in place to compensate foreign visitors who fall victim to accidents and crime. Hopefully, all of the victims have good travel insurance to cover this tragedy.
It might very well be that the Monkey Forest itself as an entity will cover compensation in this case which is how I interpret the comment in the CNA article.
In comparison, Thailand actually has an “Assistance Scheme for Foreign Tourist Injury and Casualty” which pays out compensation of up to 1 Million Baht for foreign visitors who fall victim to crime, accidents, public endangerment etc.
Maybe it would be a worthwhile effort to create such a fund from the tens of Millions of US$ collected from the arrival fees just in case. After all, Bali (just like Thailand) also has a history of terrorism although these horrific “Bali Bombings” have been quite a while ago now. The remnants are still visible in the form of strict security, barriers and car searches at hotel entrances and gates to Nusa Dua.
There is also a video by CNA about the Monkey Forest incident on Youtube:
Accidents happen, and it’s always important to be vigilant, even and maybe especially on vacation when it’s easy to be careless in the joy of the moment.
Conclusion
Two female tourists were killed in Bali when a wind gust caused a large to collapse at the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud. A third lady was severely injured, requiring hospitalization.
This is really a tragedy as a joyful holiday ended in death due to unfortunate circumstances. RIP!
