Bali flood: disaster claimed the lives of at least nine people

Floods and landslides on the popular Indonesian island of Bali have killed at least nine people and left six others missing. On Thursday morning, September 11, local media reported 14 dead, including a foreigner, and one missing person. Houses and hotels were flooded. People are being evacuated to schools and temples. Read more about the incident in the Izvestia article.

What is known about the Bali floods

According to various sources, nine to 14 people died as a result of severe flooding and landslides in Bali, which occurred on the evening of September 9 due to heavy torrential rains. At the moment, Bloomberg is also reporting six missing persons, local media — one, but also more dead.

According to the local National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), several areas were flooded, including residential buildings, hotels and underpasses. Footage has been posted online showing dozens of cars being swept away by floods, and a multi-storey building collapsing under the onslaught of water.

The most affected were the provincial capital and the largest city of Denpasar Island, as well as the districts of Jembrana, Gianyar, Klungkung, Badung and Tabanan. Businesses were shut down in Denpasar. 85 people were evacuated in Jembran, hundreds of people were forced to seek temporary shelter in schools, temples and other public buildings. In Karangacem, torrential rains caused landslides that blocked access to several areas, making evacuation and assistance difficult. Access to the Ngurah Rai International Airport was restricted.

According to BNPB, tourists and 620 residents were injured.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto ordered urgent measures to help the victims. 400-600 employees of various services were involved in the search for the missing. Rescue operations are continuing in some areas. BNPB representatives promised to help residents repair damaged houses. Indonesian Minister of Public Works Dodi Hanggodo said that heavy equipment has been allocated to eliminate the consequences of the disaster.

As Evgenia, a Russian woman vacationing in Bali, told Izvestia on September 10, she discovered flooding of the first floor of the villa at night, the water reached ankle level. Later, the level rose to 20-30 cm.

— All the shoes were floating. There are clothes all over the villa. We dry everything — upholstered furniture, shoes — everything has surfaced," the tourist explained.

The Bali Sun writes that tourists are advised to travel around the island only if absolutely necessary.

The damage, according to the authorities, amounted to about 1 billion Indonesian rupees (more than $ 60 thousand).

How often do floods and landslides occur in Bali

Floods in Bali are rare during the dry season, but continuous rains lasting more than a day caused the Badung River to flood, which led to flooding of urban areas. In general, torrential rains often fall in Bali, but they usually begin in October and November. It is believed that there is a non-tourist season on the island from mid-autumn to early spring. The rainiest months are winter.

However, most often the rains do not last long and do not bring destruction. Nevertheless, floods and landslides occur every few years due to heavy rains. For example, fatal landslides were reported in 2020, 2024, and 2025. A high-profile case occurred in 2017, when a landslide that descended on three villages in the Kintamani area killed 12 local residents, including a one-year-old child.