5 Die in Accident in 'Instagram-Famous' Elevator

Tragedy struck a Balinese resort on Friday afternoon: Five hotel workers died when the cable pulling the inclined elevator they were in snapped, sending them more than 200 feet down a ravine and causing them to break through a barrier at the lift's base, reports the New Zealand Herald. The Guardian reports the members of the hotel's housekeeping department Ubud's Ayuterra Resort were traveling from the upper part of the hotel to facilities down below when the accident occurred. Two were pronounced dead following impact and the others died in the hospital; they ranged in age from 19 to 24.

Ubud's police chief on Monday said, "The steel swing rope was not strong enough to pull the weight upwards, which was quite heavy, and the safety wedge or brake did not function, so the elevator slid downwards at high speed ... As a result, the five elevator passengers died." While a local official indicated the lift had been inspected and approved in November 2022, a police official says they are investigating whether the lift formerly had three ropes or cables, not one, pulling it. Fox News, which calls the glass elevator "Instagram famous," reports it was also used by guests. (More Bali stories.)