Advertisement

Aussie student, 25, mysteriously dies in Bali after dental procedure

The family of an Australian woman has been left searching for answers after the 25-year-old “with an amazing future ahead of her” died suddenly in Bali.

Perth student Niamh Finneran Loader died on December 2 while visiting the popular Indonesian holiday destination to undergo “dental treatment”, according to a GoFundMe created to help bring her body back home.

Her devastated dad Malcolm Loader revealed to The West Australian this week that his daughter had been “very happy with the results” of her “minor” dental work.

Perth student Niamh Finneran Loader, who died in Bali.
Perth student Niamh Finneran Loader died in Bali on December 2. Source: Facebook

“The police are currently investigating. . . we have no idea (of what caused her death) at this stage,” he said. The publication reports that an autopsy was only just performed on Ms Loader’s body on Monday, and the results may not be revealed for months.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that it is “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Bali”. “Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment,” they added.

Ms Loader, who reportedly immigrated to Australia from Ireland as a child, was a master’s student at the University of Western Australia. She was due to fly to the US early next year after being offered an intern scholarship from the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation.

“It is with great shock and sadness that we learned of the sudden passing of Mannkal Scholar Niamh Loader following a medical procedure. We offer our deepest sympathy to her family, friends and fellow Mannkal Scholars,” the foundation wrote on Facebook after the 25-year-old’s untimely death.

Ms Loader with her parents and brothers.
Ms Loader's family are now raising money to bring her body back to Perth. Source: GoFundMe

Tributes flow for 'wonderful' student

Heartbroken family and friends have paid tribute to the “wonderful, kind and fun-loving young woman” who had also worked as a columnist for the Australian edition of the UK-based magazine The Spectator.

The student’s last piece titled ‘carbon emissions are driving children online’ was published just days after her tragic death.

In a subsequent tribute, fellow Spectator contributor Mark Burgess remembered Ms Loader for her “cheeky Irish sense of humour, sharp wit and strong intellect”, which he says “facilitated enjoyable philosophical discussions”.

“In my relatively short experience, there are some rare people that you only cross paths with in this life for a short time, but make a remarkable impression upon you. Niamh was one of those individuals,” he continued.

“Never explicitly political, Niamh called a spade a spade. She was an impressively critical thinker and ultimately wanted the truth to prevail above all else. Most of all, she was a friendly individual who was a pleasure to be around.”

In a Facebook tribute, the 25-year-old’s uncle Eoghan Finneran said he was devastated over the loss of his “beautiful” niece.

“Words can’t express our sorrow. Taken far too soon, at the age of just 25, from her heartbroken parents and loving brothers Joe, Daniel and Ronan. Heaven is a brighter place this week,” he said.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.