28-Year-Old Australian Tourist Dies At Hotel In Bali

Share The Article

Bali’s Badung Police Department has released a statement to confirm that an Australian national was found dead in their hotel room on Friday 10th June. Tyler Turgay Kay, 28, from Australia was found in his hotel room by the hotel’s staff. The alarm was raised when Kay did not answer his phone or the knocks on his door. He is believed to be traveling with fellow Australian Erol Gurcinar, 35. 

Both Kay and Gurcinar were staying at the De Vins Sky Hotel, Kerobokan Kelod Village in North Kuta. The statement from the Badung Police Head of Public Relations, Iptu Ketut, confirmed that Gurcinar contacted hotel management when Kay failed to respond to his phone call. The hotel manager, Komang Maherna arranged for housekeeping to assist in opening the door. Upon entering the room it was clear that Kay had died. 

Maherna and the hotel team quickly contacted the medical team at the closes hospital, and a medical officer from the Bhakti Vedanta Clinic arrived on the scene. The medical officer was able to formally pronounce death and the Badung Police were able to investigate the scene.

Kay was found in his bed and there were no signs of suspicious activity or violence. Police did find Kay’s epilepsy medication in his bag. The anticonvulsant medication is thought to be Kay’s prescription medication.

Although there was no suspicious activity reported and no evidence of foul play at the scene, the police investigation remains open as a post-mortem examination is underway. Only once the coroner confirms the cause of death can the police close the case. Kay was taken to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar. It is from here that his loved ones will be able to make plans for the repatriation of his body back to Australia. 

The Badung Police did not share a date for if and when the cause of death will be shared with the public. It is likely that Kay’s family will decide whether such information should be released.

The De Vins Sky Hotel has not released a statement and has been cooperative with the police investigation so far. The De Vins Sky Hotel is a 4-star hotel with 109 rooms that can be found a 13-minute walk from Bali Beach. 

This news comes just weeks after Australian skincare tycoon Ryan Channing died in hospital after an overdose of prescription medication. Channing was on a family holiday in Canggu. He was found unresponsive at his villa while with his family and was immediately rushed to BIMC Hospital in Kuta where he died two days later. 

Ryan Channing was best known as the founder of BLAQ Skincare and as a vocal campaigner for equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people in Australia. He and his ex-fiance, Olympic gold medal swimmer Ian Thorpe, were part of the successful campaign for marriage equality in Australia. 

As the peak season approaches in Bali, the tourism sector is looking forward to welcoming travelers back for a safe and happy holiday. Travelers are reminded to take out fully comprehensive travel insurance before they arrive in Bali.

Fully comprehensive travel insurance should cover the full spectrum of potential medical support a traveler may need, and include support for repatriation should a serious incident occur. Most hospitals in Bali have experience with providing medical assistance to foreigners.

Medical tourism is a travel trend that is gaining traction in Bali. It is defined as travel for specific medical treatments. As healthcare costs rise all over the world, many people choose to access healthcare internationally as the cost of treatment and travel is far less expensive than if they sourced treatment at home.

In recent years there have been investments in medical infrastructure to enable Bali to be a medical tourism destination. Private medical care in Bali is hailed as being some of the best in all of Indonesia and is competitive with health care across South East Asia.