Coronavirus: British woman stranded in Bali fears she is 'going to die'

Pauline and Steven Bennett said they were among more than 150 Britons stranded in Bali

A British woman stranded in Bali by the cororavirus pandemic fears she will die there because her chemotherapy medication is running out.

Pauline Bennett, 56, has a bone marrow disease and her drug supplies will only last until Saturday.

Her booked flight back to the UK and a replacement flight were both cancelled.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was concerned about the situation in Bali, but was working to "free up transport links" to bring people home.

Mrs Bennett and her husband Steven, from Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, travelled to Bali at the start of March to meet up with their daughter, who lives in Australia.

She said she sought medical advice before travelling.

She said other British people were stuck on the Indonesian island and called on the UK Government to urgently help.

Mr and Mrs Bennett received an email from the FCO advising them to contact the local embassy, but Mrs Bennett said nobody was answering their calls.

'In a nightmare'

She said airline Emirates suggested they might have to stay in Bali for three months.

"I felt like I was going to pass out. I thought, 'I'm going to die here'.

"I'm not eating. I've not slept since Sunday. I feel like I'm in a nightmare.

"Nothing is happening. It's like we've just been forgotten about," she said.

Mrs Bennett said Emirates staff at the Indonesian airport had been unable to help them get back to the UK

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Raab said: "I'm concerned about the situation in Bali. The embassy there is open, reinforced by staff in Jakarta.

"There are about 6,000 British nationals in Bali. Flight options have been curtailed but we're trying to free up as many links as possible, including transit hubs, to bring them home."

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said: "We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world - often with very little or no notice.

"The FCO is working around the clock to support British travellers in this situation, to allow them to come back to the UK."

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