AN AUSTRALIAN teenager has fallen down a flight of stairs at a Bali nightclub during schoolies celebrations, breaking his leg and shattering his teeth.
The 17-year-old was at Sky Garden in Kuta about 11pm local time on Tuesday when he fell down an internal staircase from the fourth to third floor, local police said on Wednesday.
The teen is currently at Siloam hospital in Denpasar being treated for a broken leg and shattered teeth.
Kuta Police Chief, Commissioner Wayan Sumara said CCTV from inside the nightclub showed that the teenager was “goofing around†moments before he fell.
“(He was) holding on to stairway rail, swinging his body and then he was thrown. He fell to the third floor face-down. His face hit the floor,†Comm Sumara said on Wednesday.
“He was unconscious (initially) and had a wound to his left knee and his chin was bleeding.â€
The Sky Garden club is the biggest and most popular club in the Kuta Beach area.
The teenager’s friends, along with a security guard inside the venue, took the 17-year-old to the first aid centre on the second floor of the club before being taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
It was the same club where Australian teenager Jamie Murphy achieved national infamy when news broke of his arrest outside the club for carrying a bag of white powder.
Film emerged of him being physically roughed up by a security guard who appeared to be choking him and squashing his face, as a distressed Murphy pleaded “it’s not mine ... what are you doing?â€
But Bali isn’t the only place where schoolies find themselves in hot water - a fisherman got an unusual catch when he ventured into waters on Tuesday.
Floating about 400 metres from the shore of Cowes on Phillip Island, Victoria, were four schoolies stranded and in need of rescuing.
Four girls were floating in two pink inflatable flamingoes, a dinosaur and a unicorn.
Alex King was squid fishing with a friend when he saw the girls in the shark-infested water “floating helplessly†into the western entrance current.
Mr King saw them floating in the distance and he pulled his lines in and went in for a closer look and found the girls.
“Whilst squid fishing off cowes we observed 2 pink flamingos (sic), a dinosaur and a unicorn floating helplessly into the western entrance current,†Mr King wrote in a Facebook post.
“Pulling in our lines and moving in for closer inspection we found it to be four young ladies in need of a rescue.
“Be safe on the water. No matter the vessel you are in.â€
Mr King told the Herald Sun he was a local and would never swim in the area, adding it was a spot to catch bronze whalers and gummy shark.
He said the water was 30 metres deep, a fact he didn’t share with the girls until they were safely on his boat being towed to shore, with the inflatables tied to the back.
Meanwhile, interstate schoolies have embarked on the Gold Coast this week and more are expected to head to the sunny state next week.
Police said they shifted attention to licensed venues, with the majority of interstate schoolies 18 years and over.
Queensland Police said there were no incidents overnight.
In the first week of Schoolies, 71 school leavers were arrested during the Gold Coast celebrations, up from the 37 arrested in 2015.
This week school leavers also headed to the coast of Victoria, where they have so far been well-behaved.
Police have urged thousands of school leavers to celebrate safely and responsibly in the popular coastal towns.
Surf Coast, Mornington Peninsula and Bass Coast police prepared for an influx of schoolies with increased patrols in and around licensed venues and popular accommodation sites.
Victoria Police Priority Communities Division Acting Commander Tim Hansen said police would be focused on deterring excessive drinking and anti-social behaviour.
“Most school leavers do the right thing by celebrating in moderation and looking out for their mates,†he said.
“Unfortunately there are always individuals who take things too far, putting themselves and others at risk.
“We will be working closely with local councils and partner agencies to ensure that schoolies are enjoying themselves in a way that is safe and respectful of the communities they are visiting.
“Our message to schoolies is to look out for yourselves and each other. If one of your friends is drinking to excess or engaging in risk-taking behaviour don’t hesitate to call them out on it, or else police will.â€
In the case of an emergency, schoolies should approach a police officer or dial 000.
- Additional reporting by AAP