Fears for London tourist missing off Bali's coast
Harrison Edward Nada Kontounas, 23, went missing on Wednesday in Bali
- Published
A search is under way for a missing British holidaymaker who was swept out to sea in Bali.
Harrison Edward Nada Kontounas, 23, from Ilford, east London, was swimming with friends on the island's Legian Beach on Wednesday when a strong current is believed to have pulled him beneath the waves.
According to search and rescue in Denpasar, Bali, he and two others were in the water when he went missing.
Friend Freddie Palmer, who was with Mr Kontounas when he went missing, said: "We need help to find our friend dead or alive before it's too late."
Friend Freddie Palmer said he and his friends were traumatised
He expressed unhappiness with the way the search was being handled, claiming lifeguards took three hours to arrive and that he and his friends had paid £1,700 themselves for a helicopter search but no trace of Mr Kontounas was found.
'We are traumatised. We just believe that the authorities here could have acted quicker and maybe he would be sitting here with us right now," he said.
"We have put in more hours looking as a three than they did in the first 24 hours."
The island's search and rescue team said it used drones, boats and jetskis to find the missing man
Search and rescue chief Nyoman Sidakarya said Mr Kontounas was reported missing at 18:40 local time (11:40 BST) on Wednesday.
The organisation's Instagram account said searches were undertaken along the coastline using boats, jet skis and drones.
"So far the joint (search and rescue) team has not been able to find any signs of the victim's presence," it said.
He said the search had been hampered by waves as high as 2.5m (8ft).
If they were unable to find Mr Kontounas, he said "the next plan of movement" would be determined.
Mr Sidakarya warned people to take care visiting the beach as the wind could reach up to 39 km/h (24mph).
The Foreign Office said: "We are supporting the family of a missing British national in Indonesia and are liaising with local authorities."
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