A Chinese tourist has been killed while posing for a photo at the crater of an active volcano in Indonesia. Although a guide alerted her to the danger, Huang Lihong, 31, stood near the edge of the crater. However, she tripped over her clothes and disappeared behind a cloud of sulfur fumes in the volcano.
The tragedy took place on Saturday, Indonesian media reported. Huang Lihong, 31, and her husband Zhang Yong, 32, enjoyed a guided visit to the crater park of East Java’s Ijen volcano. This active volcano is an impressive sight for photographers and tourists.
‘Blue lava’
The Ijen volcano is known for its ‘blue fire’, a reference to the apparent blue lava flowing from the crater. In reality, these are blue flames caused by toxic sulfur fumes.
This is because near the crater, at an altitude well above 2,000 meters, there is a sulfur lake, the largest toxic lake in the world. When sulfur comes into contact with oxygen, it ignites. At times this creates meter-high blue flames.
A guide warned Huang Lihong, 31, and Zhang Yong, 32, of the danger, but the woman still stood near the crater on Saturday to pose for a photo at the sunrise. One image shows her balancing on one leg, surrounded by sulfur fumes.
Too close to the edge
According to local media, the woman was getting closer to the edge when things went horribly wrong. She tripped over her long clothes and fell down a steep cliff. The woman fell to her death about 75 meters below. Rescuers reached the victim two hours later, but she had already died.
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