Lift plunge tragedy: Five employees killed at Bali’s Ayuterra Resort

A tragic lift plunge on the popular Indonesian tourist island of Bali led to the death of five hotel employees. The small electric railcar used within the Ayuterra Resort in Ubud was reported to have suddenly fallen on September 1. The ongoing investigations by the local police are focusing on why the railcar’s cable snapped.

The unfortunate lift plunge transpired at the Ayuterra Resort in Ubud, a town in the central area of the island. Five employees from the housekeeping department, three females and two males aged between 19 and 24 years, were using the inclined railcar along the resort’s cliff face with a 35-degree gradient.

The railcar unexpectedly fell from a height exceeding 100 metres and violently crashed onto the ground below at about 1pm last Friday. Ketut Suwiartha, the resort’s chef, revealed that he heard screams shortly after the five employees entered the railcar, followed by a loud crash.

Upon discovery of the mangled railcar wreckage on the ground, he immediately alerted emergency services. Initially, three victims were still breathing and were rushed to the hospital by the rescue team. However, due to severe injuries from the lift plunge, they later died at the hospital.

The devastating accident has been attributed to the snapping of the lift’s cable, causing the car to plunge over 100 metres. Initial investigations suggest that the railcar was overloaded, according to the Ubud town police chief Made Uder.

“It’s likely that the steel cable pulling the railcar was not strong enough to handle the weight, and the safety system or brakes failed.”

However, a thorough investigation is still underway to confirm this cause, as well as to determine if the hotel bore any responsibility due to negligence or lack of maintenance. The resort owner has expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and pledged to cover all funeral costs and provide compensation reported KhaoSod.

The lift plunge victims, identified as 19 year old Sang Putu Bayu Adi Krisna, 23 year old Wayan Aries Setiawan, 20 year old Ni Luh Superningsih, 24 year old Kadek Hardiyanti, and 19 year old Kadek Yanti Pradewi were part of the resort’s housekeeping staff.

The victims, who were still alive at the scene, were immediately transported to the nearest hospital, where they tragically passed away shortly after. Ubud’s police chief has confirmed that the police are investigating the reasons behind the cable breakage. Preliminary findings suggest that the cable snapped and the car plunged due to the lift being excessively heavy.

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