While taking a proof photo… Chinese woman in her 30s dies after falling from famous volcano in Indonesia

An incident occurred in which a Chinese woman fell 75 meters to her death while taking a ‘certification photo’ at a famous volcanic tourist site in Indonesia.

According to foreign media such as the British Independent on the 22nd (local time), Chinese woman Huang Lihong (31), who was posing for a photo at Ijen Volcano in eastern Java Island, Indonesia, died after falling into the crater of the volcano on the 20th.

On the 20th, Ms. Hwang climbed to the edge of the crater to watch the sunrise with her husband when she suffered an accident. At the time, he was said to have climbed the volcano with a local guide. Initially, the woman was maintaining a safe distance of 2 to 3 meters from the edge of the cliff, but as she took a backward step, she accidentally stepped on her own clothing, lost her balance, and fell.

At the time, the tour guide warned, “It is dangerous to get close to the crater,” but Mr. Hwang is said to have moved back to take pictures of the beautiful background.

According to police, the woman fell from a height of 75 meters into the crater. The media reported that it took rescuers nearly two hours to retrieve the body.

The site was closed after the accident. Local media released the woman’s last photo before the fall. In the photo, Mr. Hwang was posing, and sulfur gas and steam were rising from the crater.

Ijen Volcano, where the accident occurred, is the most popular mountain among Indonesia’s 32 volcanoes, along with Bromo Volcano. It is famous for the so-called ‘blue fire’ phenomenon, in which erupting sulfur gas receives the heat of the volcano itself, meets the air, and burns, producing a blue glow.

The mysterious scenery of blue flames rising up to 5 meters is captivating tourists. However, accidents continue to occur. Last February, a Polish tourist in his 50s was found dead on a hiking trail while hiking, and in September 2015, a 68-year-old Swiss man was reported to have died after complaining of difficulty breathing while heading to the crater.

Kim Ye-seul, Donga.com reporter [email protected]