(BrightPress.org) – Thirty-one-year-old Huang Lihong from China fell to her death during a guided tour of a volcano park in Indonesia. On Saturday, April 20th, Lihong and her husband, with the help of a tour guide, climbed to the top of the Ljen volcano in East Java to watch the sunrise and see the “blue fire” generated by the volcano. The tour guide told authorities that Lihong had been instructed several times to keep a safe distance from the dangerous area at the top, but she decided to move closer to the edge of the crater while her husband took pictures.
With her back to the crater, Lihong inched backward posing for her husband’s pictures when her foot caught in her long dress causing her to fall into the crater of the volcano. Rescuers worked for approximately two hours to retrieve her body. It was determined she had fallen 250 feet into the crater of the active volcano.
The local head of the Department of Conservation, Dwi Putro Sugiarto told reporters the tourist’s death was ruled accidental. Her body is scheduled to be taken to Bali before being returned to China. Local sources say her husband was “inconsolable” after witnessing his wife’s tragic fall.
Ljen Volcano Park is a known tourist attraction in the area. People hike the volcanoes to see the “blue fire” which is a phenomenon created by the combustion of sulfuric gasses. Indonesia’s position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” causes the nation to frequently experience seismic and volcanic activity.
The Sam Ratulangi International Airport was closed last week when a remote volcano, the Mount Ruang stratovolcano, erupted more than six times causing a mix of lava, ash columns, and lightning. The airport is located 60 miles from the crater of the volcano.
Last year Mount Merapi erupted, throwing ash almost 2 miles into the sky while 75 people were hiking in the area. At least 22 people were killed.
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