A tourist has died after she plunged 250 feet into an active volcano while posing for a picture.
The victim, named as 31-year-old Chinese national Huang Lihong, tumbled into the Ijen Crater in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, on April 20. It is understood that she stumbled and fell after catching her clothing on the rock face, before disappearing down the crater.
Local media said that she and her husband, Zhang Yong, had climbed the slope with a local guide so they could watch the dramatic sunrise from the volcano's rim. But as Lihong posed for a few snaps, she suddenly tripped over - and ended up tumbling backwards over the edge.
One picture released after the fall shows Lihong posing on what appears to be the rim of the volcano with one leg raised, with steam and sulphur gas seen rising behind her. Local media said she fell 75 metres (250 feet) into the mouth of the volcano, and it took rescuers more than two hours to retrieve her body.
It took rescuers more than two hours to retrieve her body from the volcano (stock image) (Newsflash)Dwi Putro Sugiarto, head of the Department of Conservation for the Banyuwangi region, told local media that her death an accident and reminded tourists to be mindful of their own safety while scaling Mount Ijen. Her body is scheduled to be transported to Bali before it is flown back to China. Mount Ijen is part of a group of volcanoes on the border between Banyuwangi and Bondowoso in East Java.
The volcano is known for its blue fire, a striking effect created by sulphuric gas emanating from the crater and igniting and burning. Last year, a holidaymaker died in Bali after accidentally slipping off a cliff while taking a selfie. Indian national Abhishek Bhatia, 43, had been with a tour guide on a trip to Broken Bay, on Nusa Penida Island, when he and fell to his death on to the beach below.
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