The Bali Bombings: A Teenager's Untold Story Of Survival

As a 14-year-old girl on holiday in Bali with her family, Megan Basioli had no idea that one decision would change her life forever, making her the youngest survivor of the 2002 Bali Bombings.  

Megan had been out to dinner in Kuta with her father, stepmother and 15-year-old stepsister Nadine when they decided to swing by the Sari Club for a dance on their way home.

The family had only been inside the venue for around 15 minutes and were dancing, chatting and having a good time when several bombs detonated outside the Sari Club.

“I think I must have been knocked unconscious because the next thing I remember is just waking up covered in rubble and with my stepmother laying on top of me,” she said.

Megan managed to wake her stepmother before the pair stumbled out of the burning wreckage and down a side street to safety.

“My stepmother said just wait here, I’m going to go back and look for your Dad and stepsister,” Megan said. 

Megan’s stepmother soon returned with Nadine, but her father was nowhere to be seen and all three had sustained significant injuries.

“I had 36 percent burns on my arms, legs, back and a little bit on my face and I had lots of shrapnel wounds, especially my right wrist – I had a really big laceration and some of my tendons to my fingers were cut,” she said. 

A stranger eventually found the family staggering through the streets of Kuta before leading them to a hotel with several other injured locals and tourists.

It was here that Megan met a 16-year-old boy named Craig who would stay with her, holding her hand and comforting her for hours as she waited for medical care.

Megan’s journey had only just begun with years of both physical and emotional healing still ahead of her. 

While Megan’s experience was traumatic, the bombings would completely change the trajectory of her life, leading her to a career where she can continue to help people in the same way Craig had helped her at her most vulnerable and introducing her to other survivors who would become extremely important parts of her life. 

Megan speaks with Network 10’s Ali Donaldson, sharing her incredible story of love, loss and perseverance, growing up as a teenage survivor and how tragedy can create unbreakable bonds between strangers.

This is episode six of Shockwaves:The Bali Bombings… Child Survivor

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