Chinese Tourist Dies After Drowning at Long Beach, Padar Island
A female Chinese tourist, Zou Huarong, died after a drowning incident at Long Beach, Padar Island, Komodo National Park, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday (25/8) afternoon.
Padar Heritage Conservation (PHC) public relations officer Yoanna Daely said the victim received first aid in the form of CPR from other tourists at the scene.
PHC received information about the emergency from a kiosk trader near Long Beach. After receiving the report, the PHC team immediately dispatched the speedboat Matahari 7 to the location to assist with handling and evacuating the victim.
“Our team immediately moved to the location to provide assistance,” said Yoanna.
After arriving at the scene, the PHC team, together with tourists with medical competence, continued CPR efforts while transporting the victim to Labuan Bajo. PHC also coordinated with Basarnas and the water police to support the handling and evacuation process.
The PHC vessel then arrived and docked at Labuan Bajo. Basarnas, water police, Pamobvit and KSOP teams were ready to assist with the evacuation of the victim at the port.
The victim was then taken to Komodo Regional General Hospital for medical treatment. However, the victim was pronounced dead before being taken to the hospital.
PHC highlights safety at Long Beach
The incident has drawn PHC’s attention, particularly because similar incidents are said to have occurred several times in the Long Beach area.
PHC considers it necessary to conduct a joint evaluation of safety aspects, preparedness and emergency handling standards in the tourist area.
“We believe this condition needs to be a matter of joint attention and evaluation, particularly regarding the arrangement of safety aspects, preparedness and emergency handling standards in the Long Beach area,” said Yoanna.
PHC, which operates under the auspices of the Artha Graha Foundation and partners with the Komodo National Park Office, believes that the increase in tourism activity at Long Beach must be accompanied by a strengthening of the tourist safety system.
The arrangement of safety facilities, staff preparedness and rapid response mechanisms for emergencies is considered important to minimise the risk of accidents. PHC hopes that the evaluation can be followed up immediately so that similar incidents can be prevented and tourism activities at Long Beach can take place more safely for visitors.