Since Sunday, August 25, major searches have been carried out on the Indonesian island of Bali to find a 14-year-old French boy, Thibault, who fell into a ravine during a mountain trek.
For over a week, Mount Batukaru, one of the two highest peaks on the Indonesian island of Bali, has been combed through with a fine-tooth comb. A team of around thirty people has been mobilised to find Thibault, a 14-year-old French teenager who disappeared during a mountain hike. His brother, who also fell into a ravine, was able to alert the emergency services the following morning. What happened to Thibault? Liberation takes stock of this matter.
What happened on this mountain trek?
Thibault, on vacation in Bali with his mother and two brothers – the family lives in the Paris region – had decided to climb one of the highest peaks on the Indonesian island, Mount Batukaru, on Sunday, August 25. He was accompanied by his older brother, aged 16, for this ascent at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, all without a local mountain guide. But during the descent that same day in the late afternoon, the two teenagers suddenly “slipped and fell into a ravine”a family member explained after the accident.
So, not seeing her two children return from their hike, the mother of the siblings had then sounded the alarm that same evening with the Indonesian authorities. For his part, the eldest, who had not fallen in exactly the same place, had finally been able to extract himself from the ravine. After a day of walking, he was able to join the rescue teams the next morning and provide them with all the details concerning the location of his younger brother. He had also asked Thibault not to move while waiting for him, while the latter was stuck on a ledge, while specifying that he did not seem to have been injured in the fall. The two brothers had been able to communicate verbally during the night.
How does the research work?
When the rescue team arrived at the scene, they did not find the teenager, according to the older brother. The search has been going on for more than a week. “Around thirty people are mobilized”said Kadek Donny Indrawan, who coordinates the Indonesian research team in Buleleng, north of the island of Bali. He added that, “For the moment, research is not[avaient] gave no results”.
“We have asked the Indonesian authorities to continue the search beyond the statutory seven-day period and the search is continuing,” Elsa Rochier, French consul in Jakarta, also said. “Significant resources are being mobilized,” she added.
Are accidents common on Mount Batukaru?
According to the local newspaper Bali Liveincidents involving foreign and local tourists while hiking in Bali have been increasing in recent years. At the end of August, for example, an unlicensed guide and a tourist from Jakarta were missing for several hours before being found by rescuers at an altitude of 1,800 metres. According to local media, these cases are not isolated, especially since many tourists start their hike at nightfall to reach the summit at sunrise, which can disorient them and lead them off course. Some sections are also poorly marked and very technical.
Finally, the media The Bali Sun recalls that it is nevertheless obligatory for hikers to be accompanied by an approved local guide for the ascent of Mount Batukaru, classic tourist guides not being qualified to organize these treks.
