The suspension bridge that killed two Austrian tourists in Labuan Bajo was not a random accident. It was a disaster waiting for someone to fall through.
And now, Indonesia’s tour operator association is pointing fingers — not at the victims, but at the officials who left the bridge standing.
Jurgen Perjul (55) and Astrid Perjul (57), a married couple from Austria, died on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the wooden suspension bridge they were crossing at Cunca Wulang waterfall collapsed beneath them. They fell approximately 20 meters onto large rocks and died at the scene.
“The local government did not pay attention to the infrastructure, especially the bridge, on a regular basis,” said Sebastian Pandang, chairman of the Manggarai Raya chapter of ASITA, the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies, on Monday, May 25, 2026.
He also criticized the local tourism awareness group (Pokdarwis) that manages the Cunca Wulang destination.
“They were negligent in paying attention to the condition of the bridge, which was rotten and damaged,” Sebastian said. “This led to an incident that none of us wanted.”
The Last Walk
The couple arrived at the waterfall area around 9:20 AM. They were accompanied by their tour guide, Muhamad Muhardin (30), and their private driver.
When they reached the wooden suspension bridge — stretching high above a rocky river — the Austrians wanted to capture the moment. They handed their phone to Muhardin and asked him to film them from behind as they crossed.
“They were walking side by side, smiling warmly toward the camera,” Muhardin recalled. “They asked me, ‘Please take a video of us from behind as we cross this bridge.'”
They had walked only about 10 meters onto the bridge when the structure failed.
“Suddenly, I heard a very loud sound of breaking wood, like a large tree branch falling,” he said. “Within seconds, the bridge completely collapsed.”
He watched them fall.
“I saw them both fall freely and hit the large rocks at the bottom of the ravine.”
Who Is Responsible?
The bridge was the main access route to Cunca Wulang waterfall, a popular inland destination about 1.5 hours by road from Labuan Bajo. The site is managed by the West Manggarai regional government and a local Pokdarwis.
Police have already revealed that the bridge’s wooden supports were rotten. The safety nets on both sides were nearly 90 percent missing. There was no written inspection schedule. No warning signs. No accident insurance for visitors.
Sebastian’s criticism adds pressure from the tourism industry itself. ASITA members sell tours to Cunca Wulang. When a bridge kills two tourists, it damages not only the victims’ families but also the reputation of every business that brings visitors to the region.
“The regional government must immediately repair the infrastructure at the Cunca Wulang waterfall tourism site,” Sebastian said. “We hope this incident will not happen again in the future.”
What Comes Next
The bodies of Jurgen and Astrid Perjul have been evacuated to Komodo Regional Hospital in Labuan Bajo. Police are coordinating with the Austrian Embassy in Jakarta for repatriation.
Police are also investigating potential criminal negligence by the management. No charges have been filed yet. But the findings so far — rotten wood, missing safety nets, no inspections — suggest the questions will not stop at the bridge itself.
They will reach the offices of the people who were supposed to maintain it.
A Destination’s Reckoning
Two tourists asked their guide to film them crossing a bridge. They were smiling. They wanted to remember the moment.
Now the video does not exist. The bridge is gone. And two families in Austria are planning funerals.
Labuan Bajo wants to be a world-class destination. But world-class destinations do not let visitors walk onto bridges that are already dead.
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