A female tourist from China died after falling off a cliff while taking pictures at Kawah Ijen, East Java, on Saturday (20/4/2024). The victim died after falling.
She died after stepping on her clothing and falling off a cliff.
Dwi Sugiharto, Section V of the East Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), said that the incident was purely an accident because officers had previously warned tourists to be careful when climbing Mount Ijen.
The victim’s body has now been evacuated with extra effort, considering the victim fell right into the crater. “Kawah Ijen officers took about two hours to evacuate the victim, who was already dead,” said Dwi.
The tourist came with his husband and guided by a tour guide named Guswanto. They departed from Paltuding to Ijen Crater at around 2:10 am. They climbed Kawah Ijen and descended to the crater to watch the famous Blue Fire.
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The victim took pictures with a distance of about 2-3 meters from the crater rim. Then, she stepped back to get closer. However, while walking backwards, the victim’s foot got tangled in the long skirt she was wearing and she fell into a 75-meter-deep ravine.
It took about 2 hours to evacuate the tourist from the bottom of the ravine. Dwi explained that when the evacuation team arrived at the bottom of the ravine, the victim was already dead.
Through its social media accounts @kawahijenindonesia temporarily closed the photo spot where the tourist fell.
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) is concerned and mourns the incident.
“Once again we remind you about safety because this safety factor is very important in tourist attractions,” said Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno.
He also said that, all visitors must know and follow the rules that exist in every tourist spot. For this reason, guides and employees are asked to always remind visitors not to break the rules for their safety and comfort.
