City travel agent on Bali holiday drowns in sea after falling off cliff
Times of India | 18 October 2024Mukhi and seven others, including his wife, had reached ToyaPakeh Harbour around 9 am local time on Wednesday. After being picked up by a local driver, they headed straight to Angel Billabong.The group reached the spot around 10.30 am and went around, looking for a spot to get photographed.
“From the information we got from local police, Mukhi and his wife, Kavita, stood very close to the edge of a cliff to get photographed. Since it was a full moon, the sea was rough and there were big waves. The driver who was taking the photograph asked the two to move away from the cliff edge. But before they could do so, a large wave hit the cliff and dragged Mukhi into the sea. Kavita fell on the rocks and suffered bruises but survived,” said Amin Asghar, president, Skal International, a travel agents’ body.
The victim’s body was recovered near Nusa Dua in south Bali, over 20 km away, on Thursday morning. The search party comprised local police and members of Indonesian Navy. Mukhi’s sons Gaurav and Yash have reached Bali.
Mukhi was a member of Skal and had also been its treasurer in the past. He had been in the travel trade business for over three decades and had organised trips for thousands of tourists.
The entire travel and tourism fraternity, including Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI) and Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI), have expressed shock over the incident. Anil Punjabi of TAFI said Mukhi’s demise would also lead to travel agents reviewing the risk at destinations and offering advisory to tourists.
Anjani Dhanuka of TAAI said Angel Billabong, while being scenic, had several such accidents in the past and felt tourists should avoid it.
