Tourist dies after falling 250ft into active volcano as husband was taking picture

A tourist tragically died after tumbling into an active volcano while trying to take photos.

Chinese national Huang Lihong fell down the famous Ijen Crater in Banyuwangi, Indonesia, plunging 250 feet (76.2m) to her death in front of her shocked husband.

The incident took place on Saturday 20 April, when Huang stumbled in the middle of taking photos, with her clothing being caught on the rockface before disappearing down the gaping crater.

Huang Lihong sadly died after following down the crater. (Newsflash)

According to local news outlets, the couple climbed up the slope with the assistance of a local guide so they could see the scenic sunrise from the volcano's rim, and to snap some photos of the view.

During the photoshoot, she tumbled backwards over the edge of the slope, with one photo revealing that Huang was posing on the rim with a leg up on a rock, with steam and sulphur gas rising behind her.

The Ijen volcano complex is situated in East Java, Indonesia, and is known for its blue fire, acidic crater lake and labour-intensive sulphur mining.

These, among other things, make it a tourist hotspot for those willing to make the trek up.

Its active crater has a diameter of 722 metres (2,369 feet) with a surface area of 0.41 square km (0.16 square miles) and a depth of 200 metres (660 feet) at its deepest point.

Following Huang's fall into the mouth of the volcano, rescuers took over two hours to retrieve her body and transport it out of the danger zone.

The crater is 200m deep. (Newsflash)

The head of the Department of Conservation for the Banyuwangi region, Dwi Putro Sugiarto spoke to the local media about the accident.

He stated that the fall was an accident, urging tourists to remain safe when scaling the dangerous Mount Ijen.

Local media outlets also reported that her body is being transported to Bali first, before being taken back to China by air.

The wider area is known as the Ijen Geopark, which stretches across the region, specifically the Mount Ijen area, Pulau Merah Beach, and Alas Purwo National Park.

In 2023, it became part of UNESCO Global Geoparks, as it features numerous geological biological and cultural sites.

Topics: Travel, World News, News

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

@joshnair10