Police Investigate Ubud Resort Elevator Breakup Kills 5 People

Ubud Police Chief Kompol I Made Uder (backward) appointed an elevator where five employees at Ayu Terra Resort, Banjar Kedewatan Let, Kedewatan Village, Ubud District, Gianyar Regency, Bali, Friday (1/9/2023). ANTARA/HO-Polsek Ubud

GIANYAR - Police officers are investigating the case of a broken lift at Ayu Terra Resort, Banjar Kedewatan Let, Kedewatan Village, Ubud District, Gianyar Regency, Bali, which resulted in the death of five employees.

The Head of the Ubud Police, Kompol I Made Uder, said the incident occurred on Friday, September 1 at around 13.00 WITA.

It is suspected that the bridge elevator that was climbed by five employees of the Ayu Terrace Resort made of steel was broken, then the elevator tube slid rapidly downwards.

"The steel training track was not strong enough to pull the load up which was quite heavy, the speed-up fee or brakes did not work, so the elevator slid at high speed down so it was unavoidable that the disaster occurred. As a result, the five lift passengers died," said Made Uder as quoted by ANTARA.

However, the exact cause of the incident is still under police investigation, but there are allegations that by the time the five victims were about to board and were close to the point of stopping the elevator, a steel celling rope as a puller of the elevator tube broke.

The employees who were victims of the incident were Sang Putu Bayu Adi Krisna (19), Ni Luh Supernigasih (20), I Wayan Aries Setiawan (23), Kadek Hardiyanti (24), and Kadek Yanti Pradewi (19).

Mader Uder said two victims, namely Kadek Hardiyanti and Sang Putu Bayu Adi Krisna, immediately died at the scene. Meanwhile, three other victims were declared dead after undergoing treatment at Payangan Hospital, Gianyar.

According to the testimony of a witness named I Ketut Suwiarta, an employee at the resort, at first five victims were about to go up by taking the elevator and both stood in the elevator tube. Moments after the elevator went up, the witness suddenly heard screams and violent object collisions.

Ketut Suwiarta and other Ayu Terrace Resort employees also checked the location of the elevator and found a rope made of broken steel and a lift tube along with five passengers.

Then, Ketut Suwiarta and other employees went down through the steps and saw five employees lying on the floor.

"Three victims were still breathing, then witness I Ketut Suwiarta and other employees helped by lifting the three victims who were still breathing to be taken up and then taken to Payangan Hospital, Gianyar," said Made Uder.

Three victims who were still alive were taken to Payangan Hospital using an ambulance from the Gianyar BPBD. Then, at around 14.00 WITA, the Ubud Police arrived at the scene.

Ubud Police together with PMI Gianyar Regency and BPBD Gianyar Regency evacuated two victims who had died at the TKP to Arisanti Ubud Hospital, Gianyar.

Based on the results of the crime scene, it was recorded that the length of the lift was approximately 60 meters in a tilted position with a tilted lift of 35 degrees.

"The elevator tube was destroyed and broken, the safety fence made of wood was destroyed and the floor of the security wall was damaged/destroyed," said the former Head of Operations at the Denpasar Police.

Until now, the Ubud Sector Police are still investigating the case, including examining the possibility of negligence elements from the resort in the incident.