Five housekeeping workers at a luxury resort in Bali died when a cable snapped on an outdoor elevator, leading to a fall of nearly 300 feet into a ravine.
The two men and three women, all Indonesian, were between the ages of 19 and 24. They were inside the elevator at 1 pm when the cable suddenly broke.
Two of the occupants lost their lives upon impact, while the remaining three succumbed to their injuries later in the hospital.
Ubud Police Commissioner, Made Uder, explained that the elevator’s steel swing rope couldn’t bear the weight. Also, the safety brake failed, causing the elevator to plummet uncontrollably.
Bali’s Deputy Governor, Cok Ace, who also chairs the Hotel and Restaurant Association Bali, reviewed the hotel’s safety documents post-incident. He expressed surprise at this tragic incident, as a safety inspection had deemed the elevator safe merely eight months ago.
The elevator was well-known on Instagram, serving both guests and staff to travel between the upper levels of the Ayuterra Resort, and the lower facilities near the ravine’s edge.
In response to the situation, the resort’s owner, Linggawati Utomo, 60, has taken responsibility for the funeral expenses of the deceased. Additionally, he provided financial support, about $4,000, to the families to discourage any legal action against the resort.
Bali police are leading the investigation into this tragic incident, focusing on determining the cause and why secondary safety measures were not in place to prevent such an elevator malfunction.
