Missing Australian hero found dead in Bali

An Australian man was found dead on a beach in Bali after being swept away by the sea while trying to save a tourist, local authorities said.

Craig Laidley, 56, from Perth, was swept out to sea on Wednesday afternoon during a heroic attempt to save a German man from drowning in rough surf.

Mr Laidley was walking along Balian Beach in Tabanan, on Bali’s west coast, at around 4.30pm when he heard a man shouting for help in the surf.

He managed to save the life of 29-year-old German Micro Stalla; however, Mr Laidley was swept out to sea and failed to return to shore.

On Friday, Search and Rescue Denpasar said on its Instagram account that Mr Laidley’s body was discovered at Secret Beach, 1km west of Balian Beach, where he went missing.

“The SAR team which received information about the discovery of the body immediately arrived at the scene and then the victim was evacuated to West Selemadeg Community Health Center with the help of Bhuana Bali Rescue Ambulance” , indicates the message.

Alongside 10 people from Denpasar Search and Rescue, several other agencies were also involved in the search for Mr Laidley, including West Selemadeg Police, Tabanan Police, West Selemadeg Mobile Health Center and Bhuana Bali Rescue as well as members of the local community.

Conditions during the initial search were described as “extreme”, with rescuers also scouring the nearby beach.

It was reported Mr Laidley was originally from Perth but lived in Bali.

The Foreign Ministry said it was providing consular assistance to the family of the man who died in Bali.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” DFAT said in a statement.

“Due to our confidentiality obligations, we cannot provide further comment.”