Tourists warned after wave kills swimmer
Police cautioned swimmers on the Indonesian resort island of Bali today after a storm-driven 10-foot wave killed one person.
Three Indonesians swimming at Legian beach were hit by the freak wave on Wednesday and one drowned, police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Antonius Reniban said.
The popular Kuta beach area was temporarily closed for swimming as a result, he said.
Tropical cyclone Glenda, which is believed to have spawned the freak wave, was still active in Australian waters and could trigger floods, landslides and more abnormal waves in some areas of Bali and Lombok island, said meteorologist Sutrisno, who uses a single name.
The National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has issued a warning for people to be alert for any changes in the colour of the sea or abnormal waves, he said.
Glenda was crossing Australia’s remote north-west coastal region as thousands of residents were riding out the storm, Sutrisno said.
The meteorology agency said satellite data indicated 30-knot winds at East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara provinces of Indonesia.
“Big waves could come and swallow swimmers,” he said.
