Six dead as floods wreak havoc for tourists in Bali and airport is inundated

Continuous heavy rains shutdown access to the island's international airport near Denpasar, officials said

At least six people have been killed in floods on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali, officials said on Wednesday.

Bali has been lashed by continuous heavy rains between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, bringing down two buildings in the capital Denpasar, killing at least four. Another two people died and 85 were evacuated in the region of Jembrana, Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said on Wednesday.

Heavy rains have left major roads unpassable, said I Nyoman Sidakarya, the head of the island's search and rescue agency, and access to the island’s international airport near Denpasar was limited as only trucks could use the roads.

Videos shared on social media showed floods on major roads leading to complete gridlock. The Independent has not verified the authenticity of the videos.

About 200 rescuers have been dispatched, Nyoman said.

People wade through a flooded street following overnight heavy rains in Legian, Badung, Bali (Reuters)

Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency confirmed that flash floods have hit four districts and cities in Bali, namely Denpasar city, Jembrana district, Gianyar district, and Tabanan district.

An Australian living in the tourist hub of Legian, north of Denpasar’s Kuta, said her home was hit by “heavy torrential rain” and flooding overnight.

“The water is going down and I can see all the mud and everything at the bottom on the floor of my villa,” Kim Eastough, originally from Perth, said.

“I’m living here at the moment, so this is going to be an ongoing thing for clean-up. I‘ve got a pool, and I’m worried. I don’t want to fall into the pool because I can’t see the pool,” she told Australian news outlet Perth Now.

“Flooded, flooded, flooded, everywhere,” one person wrote on social media.

Citing the continuing rain, Nyoman urged residents to self-evacuate before conditions worsen and further flooding occurs.

Several cars were seen overturned in the water, while some were seen fully submerged in the streets, according to visuals shared online.

Heavy rain also led to flooding in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara, where four people have been killed, the disaster mitigation agency said.