Fresh travel warning after WA man collapses at Bali airport
Travellers have been urged to assess their health and fitness before travelling to the Indonesian island, with Balinese officials saying they have seen an increase in medical emergencies.
Earlier this month, a 59-year-old West Australian man was injured after suffering a seizure at Denpasar Airport.
The medical emergency happened shortly after arriving on a Jetstar flight from Perth on July 6.
'The man had just retrieved his luggage and was walking toward the pickup area when he suddenly lost balance, fell, and struck a wall,' The Bali Times reported.
When medics arrived they found the man faced down and bleeding from the head.
A spokesperson for the Ngurah Rai Airport Police said the man injured his head and neck.
'He appeared disoriented, collapsed, and hit a wall, which caused injuries to his head and neck,' Gede Suka Artana said. A 59-year-old west Australian man was injured after collapsing at Denpasar Airport in Bali. Credit: Radar Bali / Facebook
The man's wife revealed he had a history of high blood pressure.
After the man received emergency first aid treatment, he was transferred to BIMC Hospital in Kuta for further medical care.
It's not just the health of tourists that officials in Bali are concerned about, it's also their fitness levels and understanding of the Indonesian law.
Less than a week ago on July 8, a mother and her teenage son had to be rescued after getting lost on Bali's Mount Batukaru.
According to the Bali Sun, the pair embarked on a hike without a guide and with seven other climbers before becoming separated from the group.
The 40-year-old and her 19-year-old son were eventually found and were able to walk back to safety.
The head of Bali's National Search and Rescue Agency, Nyoman Sidakarya, used the incident to remind travellers about the laws surrounding hikes. dfh Credit: dhf / Sony Herdiana - stock.adobe.com
'The SAR team members found traces of food left behind by the pair who had embarked on a group hike without a guide,' Sidakarya said.
'It is illegal for both domestic and international tourists to hike on any of Bali's volcanoes or mountains without a local guide.'
Speaking to the media following the tragic death of a Brazilian tourist, Juliana Marins, on Lombok's Mount Rinjani, the Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, urged all tourists in Indonesia to take the risks involved in climbing any of the country's peaks very seriously.
'Our imagination about climbing a mountain should not be equated with going to the office, on vacation; it requires physical exercise, complete equipment, and mental readiness' warned Mr Antoni.
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