Two Austrian tourists died after falling from a 20-metre-high suspension bridge in the Cunca Wulang Waterfall tourist area in Mbeliling District, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday, the 24th of May 2026, at approximately 11.30 AM Central Indonesia Time.
The incident was confirmed by Fathur Rahman, the Head of the Maumere Search and Rescue (SAR) Office. The two victims, identified as JP (55) and AP (57), were pronounced dead at the scene. The tragedy reportedly occurred after several wooden planks supporting the pedestrian suspension bridge collapsed, causing the victims to fall onto rocks below.
“The pedestrian planks on the suspension bridge gave way, causing the two victims to fall,” Rahman said on the following Monday (the 25th of May).
An eyewitness at the scene, Muhamad Muhardin (30), who works as a tour guide, described the moments leading up to the collapse. According to him, the two tourists had intended to record a short video before crossing the bridge. Then, the bridge structure reportedly failed unexpectedly, as the victims had only walked around 10 metres onto the bridge.
Muhardin heard a loud cracking sound, similar to a large tree falling, before seeing the two victims lying among the rocks below.
“Within seconds, the bridge completely collapsed,” he said.
Following coordination with the relevant authorities, a joint SAR team travelled to the river below to carry out the evacuation process. At 2.35 PM Central Indonesia Time, both victims were evacuated by ambulance to Komodo Regional Hospital, arriving at approximately 3.33 PM before being handed over to hospital authorities.
In response to the incident, Peter A. Rasyid, the Head of the West Manggarai Tourism, Creative Economy, and Culture Office, stated that the government would conduct a full evaluation of tourism safety standards at Cunca Wulang Waterfall during its temporary closure.
“The Deputy Regent and Regional Secretary have instructed us to close the site immediately and conduct a thorough evaluation of all aspects, particularly safety,” Rasyid said on Monday as well.
As of the publication of this article, the suspension bridge area leading to Cunca Wulang Waterfall remains closed to visitors for safety reasons.