Australian woman Anna Maree Blight dies while on Bali birthday trip

An Australian woman has died, and others have been injured in a horrific boating accident in Bali.

More details have emerged after an Australian woman tragically died in a boating incident in Bali on Friday.

Anna Maree Blight was killed when the snorkelling boat she was on capsized in rough weather near Denpasar.

The Melbourne woman, who worked for advisory firm Cor Cordis, was due to turn 39 this week.

Two other Australians were injured in the incident, which struck about 8.30am, local time.

Ms Blight was originally from Canberra.

The snorkelling boat capsized near Penida Island, east of Denpasar, in rough seas.

Canberra woman Anna Blight, who lived in Melbourne, was killed in a boating incident near Bali on Friday. Picture: Supplied

An image released by local police shows a person swimming back to the overturned boat, still wearing snorkelling gear and clinging to a lifejacket.

Five people can be seen sitting on the overturned hull. It appears only one of those people is wearing a lifejacket.

A relative of an Australian injured in the crash says the passengers were stranded on the capsized boat and then stuck on Penida Island for hours.

Ms Blight was taken to hospital in Denpasar but did not survive.

She has been identified as the director of a Melbourne finance company that specialises in insolvencies.

About a dozen people were on the boat.

Survivors sit on the hull of the capsized boat in Nusa Penida, Bali. Picture: AFP Photo / Klungkung District Police

Brisbane man Gabriel Hijniakoff, 29, and his partner, Cintamani (Tam) Warrington, 32, were injured.

Ms Warrington is an Australian who lives in Indonesia.

‘EXTREMELY TRAUMATIC’

In an update on Sunday, a post on behalf of the Hijniakoff family said the process of trying to get adequate medical treatment for Tam and Gabriel has been “extremely traumatic, sensitive and difficult”.

“The longer the delay of evacuation … the higher the risk of infection as this continues to delay appropriate medical treatment without going into too much detail,” family member Olivia said in an update to a fundraising page.

She added they are “taking each day as it comes”, but desperately want to “come home and receive adequate treatment.

In the fundraiser, Olivia earlier explained Cintamani had serious burns.

“Tam’s injuries are particularly severe, as she has sustained extensive (burns) to a large portion of her body,” Olivia said.

“She is currently undergoing urgent surgery and is currently receiving medical treatment in Bali after a tireless fight from abroad.”

“Unfortunately, she is unable to speak due to the pain and her condition remains critical.

“Gabriel, too, has sustained significant injuries and they were only able to begin medical treatment nearly 24 hours after the incident.”

Brisbane man Gabriel Hijniakoff and his partner, Cintamani Warrington, were injured in the incident. Picture: Supplied

“Both were left stranded on the boat for an extended period, along (with) other passengers and did not receive timely medical attention or transfers. “Unfortunately (one) woman tragically lost her life in this tragic incident.”

Olivia also said the pair lost their passports and phones, hampering attempts to liaise with family and the Australian government.

“Tam and Gabriel have a long recovery ahead of them, and we want to ensure they have the financial support to focus on healing, without the added stress of financial strain,” she said.

A German man died near the same Penida Island port in 2023, when the snorkelling boat he was on collided with another boat head-on.

In February, a boat at Nusa Penida Harbor caught fire at the dock; 85 tourists were evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Originally published as Australian woman Anna Maree Blight dies while on Bali birthday trip