China woman, 24, dies in suspected mass poisoning in Bali, hostel had bed bug complaints

A 24-year-old Chinese tourist died in a Bali budget hostel's suspected mass poisoning incident.

News.com.au reported that the incident occurred at Clandestino Hostel, an accommodation that cost around US$9 (S$11) per night.

It is located in Canggu, a coastal village on the southwest coast of Bali, Indonesia.

The Daily Mail reported that on Sep. 2, 2025, hotel staff pronounced Deqing Zhuoga dead at about 11am.

This is after they found her unresponsive in her dorm room.

Mass poisoning

Zhuoga is among multiple hostel guests affected by the incident.

After a communal dinner in late August 2025, guests began collapsing in hallways, vomiting blood and begging staff for medical help, The Daily Mail reported.

More than 20 people suffered from collective poisoning and at least 10 ended up in critical condition.

Multiple guests were admitted to medical centres and the hospital.

News.com.au reported that one of Zhuoga's friends, Leila Li, survived being hospitalised for five days in the intensive care unit.

Li, along with other guests were later named as victims in the official police report.

The other guests affected include German travellers Melanie Irene and Alisa Kokonozi, Saudi national Alahmadi Yousef Mohammed, Filipino guest Cana Clifford Jay and another Chinese tourist Leslie Zhao.

Li said that when she sent to the hospital in an ambulance, she messaged Zhuoga from the hospital and told her to "go too".

However, Zhuoga never replied.

Very sick

163.com reported that before Zhuoga's death, she fell violently ill on Aug. 31.

Li told The Daily Mail that Zhuoga was too sick to move or call for help.

Li added that Zhuoga lay in her bunk vomiting for hours while other guests scrambled to get help.

She only found out about Zhuoga's death after being discharged.

Investigations revealed that the hostel’s receptionist, Maria Gores, checked on Zhuoga on Sep. 1, 2025, shortly before her shift ended at midnight.

Alarmed by Zhuoga's condition, Gores called security to lift her into a taxi and accompanied her to a nearby clinic.

Refused treatment

An inspector handling the case said the doctor provided initial treatment but only prescribed medication due to a lack of funds.

Online news site HK01 reported that Zhuoga refused treatment due to the high cost and was later accompanied by staff to a pharmacy to purchase medication before returning to the hostel to rest.

Zhuoga was back in her bunk by 1:30am on the morning of Sep. 2.

Died alone

Later that morning, another receptionist realised Zhuoga had not checked out.

The receptionist knocked on the door and found Zhuoga lying face down after unlocking it.

Upon checking for a pulse, Zhuoga was not breathing.

By then, Zhuoga was estimated to have been dead for between two and 12 hours.

While the official cause of death was recorded as acute gastroenteritis and hypovolaemic shock, the true origin of the poisoning remains unconfirmed.

Autopsy

Following Zhuoga's death, her vomit was examined by a forensic laboratory.

It was found to contain no pesticide compounds, narcotics, cyanide, heavy metals such as arsenic, hazardous chemicals, or methanol.

According to The Daily Mail, an autopsy revealed that her body did show telltale signs of food poisoning.

Family, friends slam hostel

In light of the incident, Zhuoga's friends and family have slammed the hostel's handling of the situation.

Her family in China did not know she was ill but were already worried as they had not heard from her since Aug. 31.

Her parents asked Zhuoga's cousin to help as their calls and messages went unanswered and they could not speak English with Bali locals or other tourists.

Her cousin quickly began contacting friends and posting on social media with pleas for information, eventually working out her last known location to be the hostel.

On Sep. 6, four days after her death, she sent a desperate message via social media asking whether Zhuoga was still staying there.

It was not until the next day that the hostel replied.

However, instead of explaining the devastating situation or requesting contact details so authorities could speak with the family, the hostel allegedly told Zhuoga's family to reach out to the police and offered no further help.

Zhuoga's parents had already contacted the embassy, but supposedly received no information because the hostel had reported her nationality incorrectly.

It was only when the family found a local willing to help that a staff member confirmed what had happened.

Her parents then began the painstaking task of locating her body as it had been moved twice to different morgues.

Bedbug issue

The mass poisoning incident came just days after the hostel had been fumigated for a bedbug outbreak which triggered months of online complaints.

Clandestino staff told news.com.au that they "have been fully co-operating from the very beginning". They also hope that everything can be clarified and resolved as soon as possible.

A spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with everyone affected, and we are doing everything we can to support the process.

"This has been an extremely difficult and delicate situation for everyone involved. At this time, the case is still under investigation by the local authorities."

Top photos via HK01, 163.com