Paul Sinclair suffered a back fracture, burns to his legs and a suspected broken ankle. Photo / News Ltd
Paul Sinclair suffered a back fracture, burns to his legs and a suspected broken ankle. Photo / News Ltd
Bali explosion leaves holiday maker with burns and fractured back.
A Kiwi holidaying in Bali last night told of his miracle survival after a horror ferry explosion in the tropical paradise.
Paul Sinclair, 27, and his partner, nurse Anna Love, were on board a ferry that was partially engulfed in flames after an explosion during a trip between Lombok and Bali.
Sinclair suffered a back fracture, burns to his legs and a suspected broken ankle and was last night flown to Darwin Hospital, in Australia's Northern Territory, where he was expected to undergo surgery.
Before boarding his mercy flight, a shaken Sinclair told the Herald on Sunday: "I'm just lucky to be alive and no one got killed.
"[After the explosion] I tried to get up and there was something wrong with my ankle, then I knew there was something wrong with my back. It felt like something had hit me from behind."
When disaster struck, the Wahana Gili Ocean 4 was carrying 129 people, including two children who were unharmed. At least 19 people were injured, including Sinclair, Love, and four Australians.
Love, 24, suffered burns to one of her legs. Last night she recalled the explosion's immediate aftermath, saying: "Seats were flying everywhere, people were flying everywhere.
Paul Sinclair is lifted off the damaged ferry on a surfboard. Photo / News Ltd
After the explosion, she said crew made all passengers, including those who were wounded, get on the top deck of the ship where they had gathered medical supplies.
"We thought we would be evacuated from the boat, but instead we were just towed back to Lombok behind another boat," she said.
Chaotic scenes awaited the passengers when the damaged ferry docked and there was no ambulance for her partner.
Sinclair - a diesel mechanic from Ashburton - was instead carried into a waiting van on a piece of sporting equipment.
"Paul was lying on a surfboard on the back of the van to keep his back straight," Love said.
The hospital they were taken to was "pretty bad" and Love demanded to be taken to a better facility.
They were then taken to a private hospital.
Love said before last night's flight to Darwin the pair managed to speak to some of the Australians injured in the explosion.
"One of them had burns [almost] everywhere - he was badly burnt on his legs, arms and hair. His face was okay though," she said.
The cause of the explosion is not known. There are conflicting reports of both engine failure or a problem with the ferry's steering system. Local authorities are investigating.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the New Zealand Embassy in Jakarta had offered consular assistance to the couple.
"At this stage there are no indications other New Zealanders were on board the ferry but the Embassy in Jakarta remains in contact with the relevant local authorities."
