BALI, INDONESIA – A tragic accident occurred at the Ayuterra Resort in Ubud, Bali, on Friday, when a glass elevator, popular among Instagram users, plummeted 300 feet into a ravine, resulting in the death of five resort employees. The incident happened around 1 p.m. when the elevator’s cable snapped, according to local news sources.
The victims, two men and three women, were identified as Sang Putu Bayu Adi Krisna, 19, I Wayan Aries Setiawan, 23, Ni Luh Supernigsih, 20, Kadek Hardiyanti, 24, and Kadek Yanti Pradewi, 19. Ubud Police Commissioner Made Uder stated that the elevator’s cable was insufficiently robust to bear its weight.
The elevator, which was used by both staff and guests to navigate from the upper levels of the hotel to the lower-level resort facilities, was seen to be in a dangerous condition. The safety wedge or brake failed to function, causing the elevator to descend at a high speed, leading to the unavoidable accident, Uder explained.
Bali’s Deputy Governor Cok Ace, who also serves as the chairperson of the Hotel and Restaurant Association Bali, confirmed that he had examined the hotel’s safety documents. He stated that this was an unprecedented incident and that the permits, particularly those pertaining to the use and safety of work and the condition of the lift, seemed to be in order.
An independent consultant had declared the elevator safe in a routine inspection in November 2022, just eight months prior to the incident. This information will be included in the ongoing investigation, added the deputy governor.
Following the accident, guests at the resort have been relocated to alternative accommodations while the police conduct their investigation. The resort’s owner, Linggawati Utomo, has committed to covering the funeral expenses for the deceased workers.