A tourist plunged more than 80 feet to his death in Bali Sunday while trying to take a selfie with his girlfriend at a popular waterfall spot, according to reports.
Giancarlo Zicari, 49, and Ilaria Biagi, 25, of Italy were posing at the top of the Gajah Mas waterfalls around 11:30 a.m. when the iron railing they were leaning against suddenly collapsed, the Bali Sun reported.
The couple fell a distance equivalent to the height of an 8-story building and landed at the base of the natural tourist spot.
Biagi survived the fall but found her boyfriend dead. Despite a suspected mild head injury and abrasions throughout her body, she managed to scramble back to the top and find help.
Local police confirmed the incident to reporters in Bali, but declined to comment on the liability of the railing that buckled under their weight.
Zicari, an engineer from Rome, and Biagi had fallen from a viewing terrace that had two wooden seats next to the metal railing intended to prevent falls.
They were trying to take a selfie when the railing collapsed, the Bali Sun reported.
Police said Zicari’s family has refused to have an autopsy performed and are in the process of getting his body back to Italy.
The tragedy comes just weeks after a teenage tourist slipped off a treacherous cliffside path in Bali during a family vacation.
The 17-year-old from China sustained serious head and neck injuries but survived the fall.
Tourist Death at Bali Waterfall: What Happened?
A tourist has died after he plummeted 82 feet while trying to take a selfie with his girlfriend.
According to Tabanan Police Public Relations Chief, Gusti Made Berata, the couple had left the left the Homm Saranam Hotel for a walk to Villa Gajah Mas.
He said: "At around 11:15 am, the couple continued their journey to the waterfall, located about 500 meters below the villa."
"They reached a terrace with two wooden chairs and an iron fence created specifically to prevent visitors from falling.
"The victim is suspected to have died after falling from the area of the villa waterfall in Gajah Mas, approximately 25 meters high."
According to police reports, Zicari proposed a selfie with the waterfall in the background.
The couple leaned on the fence, which gave way under their weight.
According to La Stampa, Ilaria, from Turin, managed to survive the fall and was assisted by a Ukrainina woman Sokoliuk Viktoria, who was staying at the villa.
She was given first aid and was rushed to the Baturiti Health Center in Tabanan.
Giancarlo’s body was removed by the authorities and taken to the Baturiti Health Centre in Tabanan.
According to local reports, a doctor declared that Giancarlo Zicari could not be saved as his injuries were too serious.
A Tabanan police public relations chief said: "The victim's family refused an autopsy and accepted the tragedy as an accident"
His loved ones, including both parents and two siblings, are currently organising the repatriation of his body from Indonesia to their home city in Italy.
A Series of Tourist Accidents in Bali
It comes after another tourist plummeted to her death after falling 250ft into a volcano while her husband took a photo in April this year.
The victim, 31-year-old Chinese national Huang Lihong, tumbled into the Ijen Crater in Banyuwangi, Indonesia, as her horrified husband took a picture.
She stumbled and fell on April 20 after catching her clothing on the rock face and disappeared down the crater, it is understood.
She and her husband Zhang Yong had climbed the slope with a local guide so they could watch the sunrise from the volcano's rim, local media reports.
But as Lihong posed for the snaps she tripped and ended up tumbling backwards over the edge.
One photo released after the fall shows Lihong posing on what appears to be the rim of the volcano with one leg raised and whisps of steam and sulphur gas rising behind her.
She fell 75 metres (250 feet) into the mouth of the volcano and it took rescuers more than two hours to retrieve her body, according to local reports.
Mount Ijen is part of a group of volcanoes on the border between Banyuwangi and Bondowoso in East Java.
Bali's Tourist Safety Concerns in the Spotlight
An Italian tourist has died after falling 25m from a jungle ridge at a popular Bali waterfall.
The man, who has been identified by his initials ZG, 49, was visiting the waterfall while on vacation with his girlfriend BI on Sunday, 4th August.
The man and his partner had been staying at the Homm Saranam Hotel in the Bedugul Highlands, close to Lake Beratan, Tabanan Regency.
The couple had taken a trip to the waterfall as part of a day trip in the area. They are reported to have left their hotel at 11 am and visited Baturiti Market before hiking down to the waterfall close to Villa Gajah.
The waterfall guard told reporters that the couple started the walk down to the waterfall and arrived at a viewing terrace that also housed two wooden seats and an iron-fenced railing to help prevent falls.
ZG and his partner are said to have stood by the iron railing to take a photo when the fence collapsed, resulting in them both falling into the ravine below.
BI also fell 25m and is believed to have sustained a mild head injury and abrasions from the fall; despite dizziness, she was conscious.
Observing that her partner had landed in a precarious position and was unresponsive, she was able to scramble to the waterfall guard for help despite her injuries.
The local police unit and the Tabanan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) were immediately called to assist with the rescue.
Speaking to reporters after ZG was evacuated from the jungle ravine, Tabanan Police Public Relations Head Iptu I Nyoman Berata confirmed the incident.
He said, “The victim was taken to Prof Ngoerah Hospital (RSUP Sanglah) Denpasar, and his family refused to have an autopsy performed.”
“Before being taken to Prof Ngoerah General Hospital, the victim received an external examination from the Baturiti Community Health Center.”
Berata confirmed that ZG died at the scene. Head of the Tabanan BPBD, I Nyoman Sri Nadha Giri, confirmed that the evacuation mission was straightforward and that there were no further details to report.
Neither the local police, officers from the Tabanan Regional Disaster Management Agency, nor community officials have issued a statement regarding liability for the iron railing fence that collapsed, which was the precursor to the couple’s fall.
Railings, safety fences, rope handholds, or any other ‘safety’ device should be used with caution. This is the case in the forest and on the coast.
In the last few weeks, Bali tourists have been all too starkly reminded that many of the hiking trails to Bali’s most prominent natural wonders are increasingly dangerous and need maintenance.
Despite warnings from their tour guide not to attempt the hike down to Diamond Beach on Bali’s Nusa Penida on the 17th of July, a family from China attempted to descend down the treacherous cliffside path.
Their 17-year-old slipped and fell along the cliffside path and sustained serious head and neck injuries.
Leaders in Nusa Penida have confirmed that they will be introducing more signage and safety fences in the island’s most popular and accident-prone areas.
Speaking in early July, the Head of the Klungkung Tourism Office, Ni Made Suliastiwati, said that she had installed safety fences and impactful safety protocols on several beaches in Nusa Penida, which have a high risk of accidents.
Suliastiwati explained to reporters, “We have installed warning and swimming prohibition signs. We will increase this by placing security officers in vulnerable destinations.”
Many feel that in light of this weekend’s tragedy in Tabanan Regency, tourism leaders responsible for Bali’s waterfalls and jungle-based attractions should check the condition of their safety resources to help ensure that accidents like this do not become a common occurrence.
