Tragedy Strikes Budget Bali Accommodation
A Chinese tourist has died and at least ten others required hospital treatment following a suspected mass poisoning incident at a budget hostel in Bali that had recently undergone fumigation for bed bugs. The victim, identified only as Miss Y, collapsed with severe vomiting and chills at the $9-a-night Clandestino Hostel in Canggu, a popular tourist area on the Indonesian island.
The tragedy occurred in September, though concerning details are only now emerging as survivors speak out about their ordeal and demand accountability from the accommodation providers.
Victims' Harrowing Ordeal Revealed
Miss Y's friend, Leila Li, who shared a dormitory room with the deceased, was also hospitalised and spent five days fighting for her life in intensive care. She only discovered her friend had died after being discharged from medical treatment, learning that Miss Y had been alone when she passed away.
Ms Li checked into the accommodation on August 31 and joined a communal dinner where she met Miss Y, who had been staying at the hostel for several days. Later that evening, multiple guests began experiencing violent illness, with symptoms including high fevers, vomiting blood, fainting and collapsing in hallways.
"I managed to ask for help and got taken to a medical centre three times and then they called an ambulance for me," Ms Li recounted. "I asked them to get a doctor for Miss Y and when I got to hospital I messaged her to go in too, but I never got a reply."
Miss Y was found unresponsive in her room around 11am on September 2 and was pronounced dead. Her official cause of death was recorded as acute gastroenteritis and hypovolemic shock, though the specific source of poisoning remains officially undetermined.
Ongoing Safety Concerns and Previous Warnings
Ms Li claims that while initial assumptions pointed to 'Bali Belly' from shared food, her hospital tests indicated something more serious. "My attending doctor has confirmed it was pesticide poisoning and food poisoning," she stated.
The incident occurred shortly after the hostel had been fumigated following numerous complaints about bedbug infestations in its six-person dorm rooms. Miss Y had apparently mentioned seeing an adjacent room closed off for pest control during their dinner conversation.
Disturbingly, another tourist, 29-year-old Leslie Zhao, checked into the hostel on September 1 - hours after multiple guests had been rushed to hospital - and claims no one warned her about the sickness outbreak.
"I got sick at midnight and emailed the hostel to help me but no one came," Ms Zhao explained. "I fell down in the bathroom and stayed on the ground until 11am the next day. I was vomiting and fainting for over seven hours and nobody came to check on me."
She was eventually rushed to hospital in critical condition and required intravenous treatment. "I almost died," she said. "I was taken away by ambulance, paid high medical bills and when I came back to the hostel I did not get any apology. I even had to pay for the bed for the nights I was in hospital."
Failed Accountability and Continuing Risks
Both Ms Li and Ms Zhao report that recent tourists from Australia, Europe and Asia have contacted them describing similar symptoms after staying at the same hostel. "One girl stayed there a month after us and ended up in hospital fighting for her life," Ms Li revealed.
Online reviews indicate the hostel had bedbug problems for months before the fatal incident. One July review mentioned: "My only complaint would be the fact that front desk was not honest about the bed bug infestation. I only found out after I pretended to be asleep and overheard cleaners talking about it."
Despite victims providing evidence to booking platforms including Booking.com and Agoda, the hostel remains listed on their sites. "We did our best and sent emails with our hospital letters, we provided a lot of evidence but they did not remove it from their listing," Ms Li stated.
This tragic case bears similarities to an incident in February when two women died from suspected pesticide poisoning in Sri Lanka at a Colombo hostel that had recently undergone treatment for infestations.
Ms Li is now demanding the Clandestino Hostel be shut down pending a full investigation. "They are trying to cover it up and I just want to warn people so this does not happen to anyone else," she told Daily Mail. "More than 20 people suffered collective poisoning, at least ten were in critical condition, and one person died. And even now people are still checking in and getting sick there."
