November 18, 2025
BULELENG, BALI – Aroad accident in Bali’s Buleleng regency claimed the lives of five out of 13 Chinese tourists on Friday, when the Indonesian driver of the vehicle carrying them allegedly lost control, hit a durian tree, and then plunged into a ravine.
“The car accident happened on the road connecting Singaraja and Denpasar,” Buleleng Police chief spokeswoman First Insp. Yohana Rosalin Diaz said Friday, confirming the incident.
The accident happened on Nov. 14 at around 5 a.m. Indonesia Central Time (WITA) in Padang Bulia village of Sukasada district, while the tourists were en route from Denpasar to Buleleng on the northern coast aboard a Toyota HiAce van.
The driver, identified as Arif Al Akbar, 40, is believed to have lost control of the vehicle while navigating sharp curves on the roads that wind through the region.
“The driver could not control the car when he arrived in the area. The [vehicle] hit a tree on the side of the road,” Yohana said.
Xu Huangyuan, 66, Xu Mingbiao, 61, Xu Yuexiang, 52, Zhong Yuemei, 63, and Xu Huijuan, 61, were pronounced dead after they were transported to Buleleng Regional General Hospital for treatment.
The eight other passengers, identified as Xu Yuehao, 62, Xu Lihua, 62, Xu Shaoling, 62, Yang Junle, 34, Deng Zhimian, 66, Xu Jianchao, 74, Chen Jiao, 36, and Yang Chuxuan, 5, survived the accident but sustained various injuries, and were admitted for treatment at Karya Dharma Husada General Hospital in Singaraja, the regency’s administrative seat.
The driver Arif also survived, with only minor lacerations on his right foot that did not require medical treatment.
“The investigation into the cause of the accident and into the driver are still underway,” said Yohana, though early indications pointed to human error, as Arif was unfamiliar with local road conditions.
Adj. Comr. Bachtiar Arifin, chief of the Buleleng Police’s traffic unit, said separately that the group of tourists were on their way to watch dolphins off the regency’s popular Lovina Beach, some 5 kilometers from Singaraja.
He also said police were still looking into what led to the accident, adding that the driver’s and the vehicle’s conditions were two potential factors.
“We have requested assistance from relevant [provincial] agencies, such as the transportation agency, to help inspect the vehicle,” Bachtiar said, as quoted by Detik.com.
He added that the Chinese tour group left from Canggu village in North Kuta, Badung regency, in the early hours on Friday, which indicated a possibility that the driver lacked alertness.
“We are still investigating whether the driver was very sleepy or whether some condition with the vehicle caused the accident,” he said.
Police have gathered information showing that the group took a short break at a minimarket in Bedugul, Tabanan regency, around 48 kilometers north of Denpasar and some 20 km south of Singaraja, before continuing their journey to Lovina Beach.