Thermal Drone Used in Search for Missing Polish Visitor at Jembrana Beach
A 44-year-old foreign visitor named Marcin was reported missing at Tembles Beach in Jembrana on 30 August 2026, prompting a multi-agency search using a thermal drone, boat and shoreline patrols.
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· Event date: · 3 min read
Jembrana — Search and rescue teams in western Bali deployed a thermal drone, boat and shoreline patrols after a 44-year-old foreign visitor named Marcin was reported missing at Tembles Beach in Penyaringan Village, Mendoyo, Jembrana, on Sunday evening, 30 August 2026, according to local media and rescue officials.
Initial reports described Marcin as a British national, but subsequent identification by police and search agencies confirmed he was a citizen of Poland.
According to accounts compiled from the Jembrana Search and Rescue Post and Basarnas Bali, Marcin arrived at Tembles Beach at around 6 p.m. WITA on Sunday. His motorcycle and personal belongings were later found unattended near the shoreline, raising concerns that he had entered the water and been pulled out by strong currents.
Basarnas received a formal missing person report in the early hours of Monday, 31 August, at around 5:55 a.m. WITA. Seven rescuers from the Jembrana Search and Rescue Post were deployed to the beach and coordinated with police, military and local authorities.
Search operation with thermal drone
Rescuers launched a multi-pronged search effort on Monday covering the sea, coastline and air. Four personnel conducted a sea search in a rubber boat to the west of Tembles Beach, while other team members combed the shoreline. A thermal drone was deployed to scan the area from above, but no trace of Marcin was found during the initial phase.
Local media citing Dewa Hendri Gunawan, coordinator of the Jembrana Search and Rescue Post, reported that the unattended motorcycle and belongings were the main indicators that Marcin might have entered the water. Early information from rescue agencies suggested he was believed to have been swept away by strong waves or currents shortly after arriving at the beach.
The first documented sea search on Monday began at around 7:40 a.m. WITA and continued for roughly an hour and a half, with no positive sightings from the boat, shoreline teams or drone.
Victim identified as Polish citizen
During the second day of operations, investigators examining identity documents clarified that Marcin was a Polish national, not British as initially reported in some local coverage. Police and media later identified him as Marcin Dawid or Marcin Dawid Ryzycki, aged 44.
Rescue officials and police described the incident as an accidental drowning, stating that Marcin was believed to have been swept out to sea while bathing or swimming at Tembles Beach on Sunday night.
Outcome of the search
The combined search by Basarnas, police, military and other agencies continued over several days by land, sea and air. On Wednesday, 2 September, residents discovered a body washed ashore at Pantai Yeh Kuning (Air Kuning), about 7.5 kilometres west of Tembles Beach, and alerted authorities.
Basarnas and police later confirmed the remains were those of Marcin, the Polish national who had been missing since Sunday night. After forensic identification at RSU Negara and coordination with consular representatives, his body was handed over to family representatives on Monday, 7 September 2026.
Local officials noted that high waves and strong currents hampered the search along the Jembrana coast, and urged visitors to remote beaches such as Tembles to exercise caution and heed sea conditions when entering the water.
Sources
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