{"id":6771,"date":"2026-05-30T03:09:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/?p=6771"},"modified":"2026-05-30T03:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:09:48","slug":"police-trace-tourist-fees-after-austrian-couple-dies-in-rope-bridge-collapse-at-cunca-wulang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/police-trace-tourist-fees-after-austrian-couple-dies-in-rope-bridge-collapse-at-cunca-wulang\/","title":{"rendered":"Police Trace Tourist Fees After Austrian Couple Dies in Rope Bridge Collapse at Cunca Wulang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Investigators say there is a &#8220;disconnect&#8221; between what visitors pay and the safety conditions at the Labuan Bajo waterfall attraction.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Investigators in eastern Indonesia are now tracing the flow of tourist retribution fees after two Austrian visitors fell to their deaths from a rotten suspension bridge at Cunca Wulang Waterfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The couple, identified as Jurgen Perjul, 55, and Astrid Perjul, 57, were crossing a bridge approximately 20 meters above the ground on May 24 when the structure collapsed. Both were killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police say the bridge was in a state of severe decay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, the investigation has widened beyond the bridge itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We have detected an imbalance between the collection of retribution fees from tourists and the maintenance of safety facilities,&#8221; said AKBP Christian Kadang, Chief of Manggarai Barat Police, in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where the Money Goes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the waterfall entrance, police found evidence of official fees collected from every visitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those fees, according to investigators, flow to two destinations: the treasury of the Manggarai Barat Tourism Office and the village government of Cunca Wulang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What tourists received in return, police say, fell dangerously short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Ironically, basic safety facilities have been neglected,&#8221; Christian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;There are no warning signs at dangerous points. Management also does not provide accident insurance for tourists.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Documents Seized<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police have confiscated documents including visitor registration books and files related to the management of the tourism area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators are now examining whether criminal negligence played a role in the deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five witnesses have already been questioned:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The head of Cunca Wulang Village<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ticket retribution officer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The local tour guide who was accompanying the victims<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The driver of the victims&#8217; rental car<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A local police officer who first secured the scene<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators have also scheduled clarifications with government agencies at the regency level responsible for the management and safety oversight of Cunca Wulang Waterfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We will not stop at examining witnesses in the field,&#8221; Christian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We have scheduled clarifications from the relevant agencies in the Manggarai Barat regency government.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Premier Destination With Deadly Gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cunca Wulang Waterfall is one of the mainland&#8217;s premier attractions near Labuan Bajo, the town best known as the gateway to Komodo National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The journey from Labuan Bajo takes approximately 90 minutes by road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The site is managed by the Manggarai Barat Tourism, Creative Economy, and Culture Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But according to police, the safety infrastructure at this official destination was missing basic elements: warning signs, accident insurance, and a bridge that was safe to cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What This Means for Travelers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For international tourists visiting Labuan Bajo, the investigation raises questions that extend beyond a single incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a premier waterfall attraction can charge official fees while failing to maintain a suspension bridge, what other sites face similar gaps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If warning signs are absent and accident insurance is not provided, what recourse do visitors have when something goes wrong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation is still active. No charges have been filed. But police are now examining not just the bridge, but the system that allowed tourists to keep crossing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Victims<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jurgen and Astrid Perjul were a married couple from Austria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They arrived at Cunca Wulang Waterfall on May 24, likely expecting a day of sightseeing at one of Labuan Bajo&#8217;s recommended attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, they crossed a bridge that should not have been standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moments later, both were dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of Friday, their bodies remained at Komodo General Hospital in Labuan Bajo, awaiting repatriation coordinated through the Austrian Embassy in Jakarta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Investigation Continues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police have not announced a timeline for completing their investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the direction is clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators are no longer just asking what caused the bridge to collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They are asking who collected the fees, where the money went, and why basic safety measures were never provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For travelers planning visits to Labuan Bajo, the answers to those questions may determine whether other bridges are safe to cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">#heybalinews<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Investigators say there is a &#8220;disconnect&#8221; between what visitors pay and the safety conditions at the Labuan Bajo waterfall attraction. LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia&nbsp;\u2013 Investigators in eastern Indonesia are now tracing the flow of tourist retribution fees after two Austrian visitors fell to their deaths from a rotten suspension bridge at Cunca Wulang Waterfall. The couple, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_food_recipe":[],"enable_food_recipe":"","food_recipe_title":"","food_recipe_description":"","food_recipe_serve":"","food_recipe_time":"","food_recipe_prep":"","food_recipe_level":"","food_recipe_keywords":"","food_recipe_category":"","food_recipe_cuisine":"","food_recipe_yield":"","food_recipe_calories":"","enable_print_recipe":"","ingredient":[],"instruction":"","jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_review":[],"enable_review":"","type":"","name":"","summary":"","brand":"","sku":"","good":[],"bad":[],"score_override":"","override_value":"","rating":[],"price":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"jnews_post_split":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,51],"tags":[937,938,47,106,146,82,941,77,62,190,433,594,54,179],"class_list":["post-6771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-bali-update","tag-austria","tag-austrian-tourists","tag-bali","tag-bali-expat","tag-bali-life","tag-bali-tourism","tag-cunca-wulang","tag-indonesia","tag-international","tag-komodo-island","tag-labuan-bajo","tag-labuan-bajo-tourism","tag-news","tag-police"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6771"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6772,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6771\/revisions\/6772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}