Rescue teams continue 11th day search for missing French teenager in Bali

Rescue teams were still scouring a mountain for a French teenager who has been missing for 11 days in Bali, Indonesia.

Police, volunteers, and K9 units on September 5 continued the search for Thibault Stein, 14, after he fell off a trail on Mount Batukaru.

He was trekking with his mother and two brothers when he tumbled down the side of the steep path on August 25. His brother Rafael, 17, also fell but reportedly survived by following a river toward a nearby village.

Footage shows officers trekking through the dense and muddy jungle to trying to find signs of the missing youngster.

AKBP Chandra C. Kesuma, Tabanan Police Chief, said 72 personnel including police, search and rescue teams, disaster response officials, sniffer dogs, local tour guides, and hiking volunteers were still on the mountain.

He said in a statement on September 5: 'The sweep covered a distance of six miles and was carried out at an altitude of about 5,400 feet (1,644 metres) above sea level. Until 4pm, the victim had not been found.

'We hope that he can be found safely soon. We will continue to do all we can to bring him home.'

He added that the search will continue today, September 6.

The rescue mission on Mount Batukaru, said to be the second highest peak on Bali, has been ongoing for nearly two weeks. No sign of Thibault has been found despite 'significant resources' being mobilised.

Heavy rain and thick fog were said to be impeding the operation.

I Nyoman Srinadha Giri, chief of the Tabanan Regional Disaster Management Agency, had said: 'The team is still on the mountain but there are no results yet. The key witness who knew exactly where the victim fell has returned to France so we had difficulty determining the exact point of the search.'

Authorities have urged tourists to always bring local guides who are familiar with the terrain when hiking.

On July 28, a French tourist died while fishing off a beach in Lampung province.

Leo Bauthamy, 25, told his friends he was going bowfishing using spear-like arrows at Walur Beach, but was washed away from the shore by rough waves. His lifeless corpse was found drifting off the coast a day later.

While on July 2, British backpackers Matthew Forster, 22, and Andrew Forster, 18, went missing while trekking up Mount Agung, in Bali.

Local rescue teams launched a mass search with officials fearing the lads would be unable to survive on the treacherous route without a guide.

They were finally found at around 6 pm local on July 4 - more than 40 hours after they set off.