An Australian tourist has died after falling 80 metres from a cliff at Kelingking Beach in Bali, Indonesia, on Saturday, September 12. Brianna Cronin, 29, was solo travelling when she slipped on loose rock and became stuck on the southern side of the cliff.
Stranded on a ledge
Ms Cronin was exploring the landmark when she slipped and became stuck. She was spotted stranded on a ledge below the path by another tourist, unable to get back to the track and too high to descend to the beach. It is unclear if she was injured, but the tourist alerted one of the local lifeguards who monitor the rugged and treacherous beach below at about 7.45am.
Planning was underway to rescue Ms Cronin when she fell a second time. She hit the sand, suffering multiple fractures from the fall down the rocky cliff. Ms Cronin died at the scene.
Dangerous track concerns
The track to the beach has previously been called a "death trap" and an "accident waiting to happen," reports the Mail. "The views are spectacular but it is downright dangerous and irresponsibly managed," one visitor wrote on Tripadvisor in 2019. Half of the path is described as "sheer, vertical drops" and requires "climbing, hanging, and holding on to broken side rails made literally of sticks and bamboo".
Local authorities constructed the metal framework for a large elevator between the top of the cliff and beach in recent years, but construction was called off in 2025 following concerns over the impact to nature and increased tourist numbers.
Recovery and repatriation
Rescuers on Saturday spent about 90 minutes carrying Ms Cronin's body back up the cliff to an ambulance. An earlier attempt to remove her body by boat had to be abandoned due to large and dangerous swells. Ms Cronin's body will be repatriated to Australia.
