Following the lift tragedy that struck over the weekend, Ubud’s Ayuterra Resort has reportedly stepped forward to provide financial aid to the families of the five employees who lost their lives in the accident.
According to DetikBali, a provision in the agreement for the financial aid is that the victims’ families must refrain from pursuing legal action against the resort in the future.
The five victims 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.
Their families officially accepted the financial support yesterday afternoon in Ubud. There were two sources of aid: one from the resort itself and another from the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan).
The resort’s contribution, channeled through legal counsel I Nyoman Wirajaya, was allocated as follows: IDR35 million (US$2,295) for the victims’ ngaben (Balinese cremation ritual) and IDR5 million (US$327) for charitable purposes.
In addition, the family of the late Kadek Hardiyanti, the only one of the victims who was a permanent employee at the resort, received IDR166.1 million (US$10,893) in insurance compensation from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. Meanwhile, the four other victims, who were part-time workers, each received IDR158.2 million (US$10,375) in assistance.
Families accepting the assistance were reportedly asked to endorse a binding agreement, pledging not to initiate legal proceedings against the resort in the foreseeable future. Wirajaya emphasized that this measure was in accordance with the terms of the financial aid agreement.
Nyoman Suarila, Kadek Hardiyanti’s uncle, expressed his willingness to entrust the matter to the authorities.
“Even if we sue, our children will not return,” said Suarela as quoted by Kumparan. “But we believe in karma. If the company is wrong, then it will get it. That’s our principle.”
The Bali police have reportedly questioned 11 witnesses as they continue investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the public has been captivated by a couple of images of the tram lift at Ayuterra Resort. These viral photos, compiled by past guests of the resort, compare the lift’s state from five years ago to just four months prior to the incident.
The tram lift, functioning akin to conventional elevators, boasts a 65-meter track inclined at approximately 40 degrees. Two images, taken from nearly identical vantage points, unveil stark disparities in the lift throughout this period.
As observed by DetikBali, a critical discrepancy arises in the number of steel sling cables between the photo that was captured half a decade ago and the one that was taken a few months back. The older image portrays three sling cables, while the more recent snapshot depicts a mere solitary cable.
Separately, Bali Governor Wayan Koster has expressed that the resort would face consequences should negligence be found during lift maintenance.
The official suggested that the resort’s management may have failed to conduct regular safety checks on the lift, leading to the catastrophic snapping of its cables and the tragic loss of five resort employees.
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