Search teams on Bali are looking for 84-year-old I Made Didia, who went missing while descending Mount Batukaru in Tabanan. The man, from Jegu village in the Penebel area, set off for Batukaru on Saturday, 25 April, with a group of 13 people. They began the ascent at around 07:30 via the route from Pura Jatiluwih Temple in the Sarinbuana area, Wanagiri village. By 15:00, ten members had reached the summit, while four, including Didia, decided not to continue due to their physical condition and headed back down.
During the descent, Didia walked ahead. He did not return to the starting point, and no one saw him either on the trail or near the temple. The hiking group then reported him missing to the police.
The search began on the morning of 26 April. It involves the Tabanan police, rescuers from the National Search and Rescue Agency, the emergency management agency, volunteers, and local residents. They initially combed the area where the man was last seen, but the operation was hampered by rain, fog, and poor visibility. The next day, 38 people were deployed, and the search area was expanded to the Wongaya Gede route. The trails on Batukaru run through dense forest and intersect in places, so rescuers are also considering the possibility that I Made Didia may have taken a wrong turn during the descent.
Mount Batukaru is Bali’s second-highest peak, at around 2,276 metres. The routes go through humid tropical rainforest, in places over roots, slopes, and sections with poor visibility. The Sarinbuana route is considered challenging: about 14.8 kilometres there and back, and there are usually few people on the trail.
I Made Didia and his companions were not inexperienced tourists. The group hikes regularly and keeps fit. The situation may have been made worse by the man’s age, fatigue on the descent, dense forest, and fog, which caused visibility to deteriorate sharply in the afternoon.
Sources: balipost.com, nusabali.com
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