Nineteen South Africans have been reported missing following Saturday’s bomb blast at the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, the foreign affairs department said on Monday afternoon.
Two of them, Capetonian Godfrey Fitz and Craig Harty from Secunda were feared to have been in the vicinity of the nightclub where a car bomb exploded around midnight on Saturday, said departmental representative Nomfanelo Kota.
The other 17 were believed to have been in Bali at the time, but their exact whereabouts when the blast occurred were not known. Their names have not yet be released.
The South Africans were reported missing by friends and family members who had been unable to get hold of them since the blast. Kota said embassy officials had been able to locate a further 20 South Africans who were reported missing by their loved ones. At least 187 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in the blast — about 90 of them critically. Most of the victims were foreign tourists.
The identification of bodies was being hampered by the severity of the injuries inflicted by the explosion, Kota said. Unidentified victims would be airlifted by the Indonesian government to Australia for DNA tests in a bid to discover their identities.
South African embassy officials were deployed from Jakarta to Bali on Sunday, and were liaising with immigration authorities there to help trace the missing South Africans. The search was also being made more difficult by the fact that some South Africans visiting Bali at the time had failed to report their presence in the area to the South African mission in Jakarta, Kota said.
Members of the public unable to get in touch with relatives or friends known to have been in Bali were urged to contact the department on 012-351-0034/5.
Meanwhile, a South African wounded in the explosion, Morne Viljoen, was transferred to the Royal Darwin hospital in Australia on Sunday night with second degree burn wounds to 40% of his body. The Capetonian was reported to be in a stable condition, Kota said.
The South African government reiterated its sadness, shock and outrage at the blast, and extended its condolences to the Indonesian people as well as the bereaved families. It also wished the wounded a speedy recovery. – Sapa