tourist trapped on volcano

latest in US News

Anti-Israel UCLA protesters request shields, helmets, vegan and...

NYC's 'worst landlord' indicted for tenant harassment weeks after...

NYPD raids short-lived anti-Israel encampment at Fordham...

Police shoot, kill armed student outside Wisconsin middle school:...

Suspect accused of socking mother of 3 and breaking her jaw cut...

Presidential debate organizers fire back at Trump campaign over...

Arab peace activist blasts 'privileged' anti-Israel US college...

400,000 migrants flown to US under Biden parole program 'likely...

Devastating video shows cruise ship tourists fleeing for their lives from erupting volcano: ‘run, run’.

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Shocking footage of the White Island eruption shows the moment cruise ship tourists watched the volcano erupt.

The majority of the victims of the December 2019 disaster were passengers on board the Ovation of the Seas who traveled to the island as part of a tour group.

The video shows a group of about 18 passengers and guides in hard hats standing on an elevated part of the island gasping in awe as grey steam emerges from the top of Whakaari’s crater.

However, within seconds the mood changed, with the group breaking out into a run as they realized the seriousness of the situation.

Guides could be heard screaming “Run, run” and “Come on follow me” as others hid behind large rocks in the hope of saving themselves.

Meanwhile, a woman was captured tripping onto her knees as the rest of the group sprinted ahead of her.

Screams can be heard as dark ash and burning gases fill the air.

Most of the tourists never stood a chance , with just three of the 25 people on the island surviving.

Tuesday marked the first day of an anticipated 16-week trial, with the video one of many to be released after being recovered from victims‘ devices.

Most of the victims were understood to have come from Australia and were allegedly not warned of the tour risks prior to setting foot on the island.

At the time, the island sat at Volcanic Alert level two which is defined as a “moderate to heightened unrest”.

This fact was disclosed in another piece of footage shared at the hearing.

“The higher the level, the higher the risk of an eruption,” a guide told a tourist as they walked towards the crater, according to the  New Zealand Herald .

“We’re at level two, nearing level three now.”

It’s understood level three is categorized as a “minor volcanic eruption,” with the highest rating level five meaning there’s a chance of seeing a major volcanic eruption, according to  GeoNet .

The owners of the island as well as their company are on trial following the incident and are facing charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA).

Acting for WorkSafe, lawyer Kristy McDonald KC said they failed to take adequate steps to prevent serious injury or death, with some of the group already pleading guilty to other charges and awaiting sentencing.

Brothers Andrew, James, and Peter Buttle jointly own the island which has been passed down in their family since 1936, with their company Whakaari Management Ltd (WML) also on trial.

They have denied wrongdoing.

“The businesses making their money from tours on to the volcano had clear duties under HSWA,” Ms McDonald said.

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get the best stories straight to your inbox.

Thanks for signing up!

Please provide a valid email address.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .

Never miss a story.

“They failed to comply with those duties, and the end result was that tourists and workers went to the crater of an active volcano without being advised properly of the risk.”

On behalf of WorkSafe, Ms. McDonald added the brothers and the company failed to properly assess the risk the volcano posed to tourists venturing to the island, with few evacuation measures in place for such traumatic events.

“The limited things WML did in terms of infrastructure fell well short of their duty to ensure there was an adequate mechanism for evacuation,” Ms McDonald said.

“Profit should never come before safety,” she added, noting the company made an annual profit of $1 million.

Also facing trial are businesses Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd and ID Tours New Zealand LTD, which had exclusivity agreements to operate tours on Whakaari.

Ms McDonald said these businesses in addition to WML failed their duty to inform guests of the risks of visiting the island.

“Information regarding cancellations due to weather or information for invoicing purposes passed through the supply chain successfully. Safety information was not given the same attention,” she said.

“The case is not that the information received was inadequate. Those passengers did not receive any information in terms of volcanic activity.”

It’s anticipated more evidence will be shared as the trial continues for the next four months.

Share this article:

Advertisement

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Tourists received no safety warnings before New Zealand volcano eruption killed 22, prosecutor says

Prosecutor Kristy McDonald addresses a court in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, on the first day of a trial after a volcano eruption at a popular tourist island destination killed 22 people in December 2019. The island’s owners, brothers Andrew, James and Peter Buttle, their company Whakaari Management Ltd. and tour operators I.D. Tours NZ Ltd. and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd. went on trial in Auckland District Court for allegedly failing to adequately protect tourists and staff. (Lawrence Smith/Pool Photo via AP)

Judge Evangelos Thomas listens to evidence in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, on the first day of a trial after a volcano eruption at a popular tourist island destination killed 22 people in December 2019. The island’s owners, brothers Andrew, James and Peter Buttle, their company Whakaari Management Ltd. and tour operators I.D. Tours NZ Ltd. and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd. went on trial in Auckland District Court for allegedly failing to adequately protect tourists and staff. (Lawrence Smith/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - A boat carrying families of victims of the White Island eruption arrive back to the Whakatane wharf following a blessing at sea ahead of the recovery operation off the coast of Whakatane New Zealand, Dec. 13, 2019. Tourists received no health and safety warnings before they landed on New Zealand’s most active volcano ahead of a 2019 eruption that killed 22 people, a prosecutor said Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)

FILE - Plumes of steam rise above White Island off the coast of Whakatane, New Zealand, on Dec. 11, 2019, following a volcanic eruption on Dec. 9. Tourists received no health and safety warnings before they landed on New Zealand’s most active volcano ahead of a 2019 eruption that killed 22 people, a prosecutor said Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)

• Copy Link copied

Tourists received no health and safety warnings before they landed on New Zealand’s most active volcano ahead of a 2019 eruption that killed 22 people , a prosecutor said Tuesday.

There were 47 people on White Island, the tip of an undersea volcano also known by its Indigenous Maori name, Whakaari, when superheated gases erupted on Dec. 9. Most of the 25 people who survived were severely burned.

The island’s owners, brothers Andrew, James and Peter Buttle; their company Whakaari Management Ltd.; and tour operators ID Tours NZ Ltd. and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd. went on trial Tuesday in Auckland District Court for allegedly failing to adequately protect tourists and staff.

Prosecutor Kristy McDonald said in opening the prosecution case that the eruption at the popular tourist destination was not predictable but was foreseeable. The 20 tourists and two tour guides who died were given no warning of the risks, she said.

“They were not given the opportunity to make any informed decision about whether they wanted to take the risk of walking into the crater of an active and unpredictable volcano that had erupted as recently as 2016,” McDonald said.

“The business of tourism on Whakaari was a risky business. It involved tours to an active volcano, taking people to the heart of the crater in circumstances where no one could predict when an eruption might occur, and if an eruption did occur, those on Whakaari were likely to die or suffer very serious injury. And tragically, that risk was realized,” she said.

Of those killed, 14 were Australians, five were Americans, two were New Zealanders and one was German.

McDonald said the company that owned the volcano — Whakaari Management Ltd., which she called WML — failed to understand the risk, failed to consult with tour operators on the hazards, failed to ensure appropriate personal protective equipment was provided to tourists and staff, and failed to provide an adequate means of evacuation.

The company left tour operators to monitor the changing risk. An eruption on April 27, 2016, occurred at night without warning when no one was on the island. That should have prompted the owner to review the risk assessment, McDonald said.

The volcano had gone through 42 “eruptive periods” since colonial records began in 1826, McDonald said.

After the 2016 eruption, New Zealand geology agency GNS Science said its staff were banned from visiting the crater floor until further notice because of the “heightened state of volcanic unrest,” McDonald said.

Despite knowing this, several operators continued taking tourists to the crater from the day after the eruption, she said.

WHL, which made a profit of 1 million New Zealand dollars ($621,000) a year from tourists, could have paid GNS for a formal risk assessment but did not, she said.

McDonald said warning tourists of the dangers “would obviously not be good for business.”

“However, profit should never come before safety,” she said.

She blamed the Buttle brothers for the WML’s failure to assess the volcano danger.

“The Buttles knew they could obtain expert advice from GNS for a fee. They chose not to,” McDonald said. “The Buttles failed to do one of the most fundamental things required of them as officers. They failed to ensure that their company had and used sufficient resources to understand the risk of its business and to implement controls to manage that risk.”

ID Tours NZ and Tauranga Services failed to ensure 38 passengers, who had traveled from Australia aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas and were on the volcano when it erupted, had been properly warned of the risk, she said.

Those 38 people “did not receive any health and safety information about volcanic activity or volcanic risk prior to the tour,” McDonald said.

If WML was going to allow tourists to visit the volcano, the company should have ensured visitors were equipped with adequate personal protective equipment and that emergency evacuation options were provided, McDonald said.

The court was shown video and photographs taken in the moments before and during the eruption.

McDonald said the only way off the island other than aircraft was a 90-year-old jetty that was too small for tourist boats to dock at. Survivors had to climb down a ladder to inflatable boats.

“A number of victims were badly burnt and this transfer was very painful,” McDonald said. “Some of them were losing the skin off their hands as they attempted to climb down the ladder. Some were unable to use the ladder and were pushed or fell into the inflatable boats.”

Defense lawyer James Cairney, representing WML and the Buttle brothers, questioned whether “one director can be liable for one failing by a company when there are multiple directors.”

David Neutze, the lawyer for ID Tours, said Royal Caribbean had probably breached safety standards but the New Zealand regulator WorkSafe had no jurisdiction over the Florida-based company.

ID Tours’ role was as a ground handler taking passengers from the cruise ship and as a booking agent for volcano tours.

“ID, we say, did not have a reasonably practical ability to cancel tours, to control the provision of health and safety information to passengers, to verify its accuracy or its adequacy or appropriateness of any health or safety information provided,” Neutze said. “Those functions were part of the work activity of others, principally Royal Caribbean, which sold the tours, and White Island Tours, which provided the tours.”

White Island Tours pleaded guilty in June to safety breaches relating to the eruption. All but one of the 22 dead were involved with that tour operator.

Three helicopter tour operators pleaded guilty last week to safety breaches.

Each of the companies faces a maximum fine of NZ$1.5 million ($927,000). Each of the brothers charged faces a maximum fine of NZ$300,000 ($185,000).

The trial being heard by Judge Evangelos Thomas without a jury will resume Wednesday. It is scheduled to run for 16 weeks.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

‘The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari’ Review: A Seismic Tragedy

A Netflix documentary recounts the eruption of an active volcano off the coast of New Zealand that left several tourist groups struggling to survive.

By Natalia Winkelman

Three years ago on a small island off the eastern coast of New Zealand, several tour groups were trekking near the rim of an active stratovolcano when the site erupted , spouting scalding steam, toxic gases and ash plumes that rose thousands of feet into the air. More than 20 people died, some in the explosion and others who later succumb to their injuries; many more suffered severe burns.

A detailed chronology of the tragedy is relayed in the unembellished Netflix documentary “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari,” which hinges on interviews with a handful of survivors and people involved in the rescue missions.

White Island (also known by its Maori name, Whakaari) is a gorgeous setting for a documentary, a natural wonder that has long been a destination for geology enthusiasts and thrill seekers keen to peer into a live volcano’s abyss. The film begins by leaning into this wanderlust through imagery and maps of the island, but once we reach the moment of eruption, the mood turns dark.

The director, Rory Kennedy, only lightly explores the science behind the calamity, and the film never stretches beyond a layperson’s knowledge. The film similarly stops short of looking into the organizations and government agencies that may be accountable . Instead, Kennedy seems intent on centering the survivors, who — alongside original photos and videos taken by tourists that day — describe a living hell of fear and agony.

But while this framework guarantees an engrossing disaster story, the choice to ignore the social aftershocks of the eruption leaves viewers without the tools to contextualize the profound pain on display. Once the ash settles, we long for insight, but only the trauma lingers on.

The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari Rated PG-13. Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes. Watch on Netflix .

• Volcano news
• Volcanoes Today
• Which volcanoes are erupting now?
• Volcano Glossary
• Latest VAAC advisories
• Earthquakes
• Latest Quakes
• By Country/Region
• Find quakes
• Report a Quake!
• Global Seismic Activity Level
• Volcanoes & Earthquakes App
• Destinations
• Support us to maintain this site!  

Guaranteed tours

Iceland volcano eruption: reckless tourist narrowly escapes dying in lava flow.

• All news about: Fagradalsfjall volcano
• Information about: Fagradalsfjall volcano

Previous news

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: new video of eruption, fagradalsfjall volcano update: eruption continues, lava effusion rate increases.

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: Activity continues without significant changes, slowly decreasing trend

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: Lava overflows dam, enters valley towards southern Ring Road now in dager being cut

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: aerial view of eruption site after two months since eruption started

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: lava flows broke defense barriers and continue to advance into Nátthagi valley

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: Photo gallery from Iceland

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: lava flow discharge rate has increased

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: Lava jets surpass incredible 400 m height

Fagradalsfjall volcano update: Intermittent lava fountains continue

More on VolcanoDiscovery

Support us - Help us upgrade our services!

• Improved multilanguage support
• Tsunami alerts
• Faster responsiveness
• Design upgrade
• Detailed quake stats
• Additional seismic data sources

American Tourist Rescued After Falling Into Mount Vesuvius Crater

Using a long rope, volcano guides pulled the man to safety

Daily Correspondent

Earlier this month, guides rescued a traveler who had fallen into the crater of Italy’s  Mount Vesuvius volcano after trying to retrieve his phone.

The man, a 23-year-old Baltimore resident, had been hiking with several others on an unauthorized trail, report  CNN ’s Livia Borghese and Sana Noor Haq. The path was clearly marked as off-limits, with signs warning tourists of danger.

But the hikers disregarded the signs because they did not purchase entrance tickets, says Paolo Cappelli, who leads a group of guides on the volcano, in a  statement .

When the group reached the top of the 4,000-foot volcano, famous for the deadly 79 C.E. eruption that blanketed  Pompeii and neighboring towns in ash and rock, the man pulled out his phone to snap a selfie, per NBC News ’ Claudio Lavanga, Caroline Radnofsky and Marlene Lenthang. But then his phone fell into the crater; trying to retrieve it, he slipped and fell into the crater, too.

“He managed to stop his fall, but at that point he was stuck,” Cappelli tells NBC News.

A team of guides on the other side of the crater saw the incident through binoculars. Four of them rushed to the man’s aid; with the help of a long rope, one of the guides rappelled down about 50 feet into the crater to retrieve him, reports the Italian newspaper Il Mattino . Gennaro Lametta, an Italian tourism official, wrote in a Facebook post that the man was unconscious.

"He was very lucky,” Cappelli tells NBC News. “If he kept going, he would have plunged 300 meters [nearly 1,000 feet] into the crater.” 

Paramedics treated the man in an ambulance lower down on the mountain, but he refused to go to a hospital, per CNN. Police took him into custody, though it’s not yet clear what charges he may face.

The man’s family has not responded to interview requests from media outlets.

Mount Vesuvius is located along the Gulf of Naples in southwestern Italy. Its crater, formed during its last eruption in 1944, spans 2,000 feet across and 1,000 feet deep. Today, Vesuvius is the only active volcano on mainland Europe. Though its last major eruption occurred in 1631,  an eruption today would be devastating, as over two million people live nearby. 

Meanwhile, archaeologists continue to unearth and study artifacts from Pompeii, which volcanic rock and ash preserved for centuries. Just in the last few years, they’ve discovered the remains of a  female tortoise and her egg , as well as detailed  frescoes ,  horses and  human remains .

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Sarah Kuta | READ MORE

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.

After rescuing a hiker near Iceland's erupting volcano, police are urging tourists to stay away

• Police rescued a hiker who got too close to a volcanic eruption in Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula.
• The volcano began erupting on December 18 after a series of earthquakes hit the surrounding areas.
• Icelandic police said tourists should "think four times" before approaching the site.

A Coast Guard helicopter flew by Iceland's volcanic eruption on Tuesday to rescue a hiker who was wandering too close to the site, The Guardian's Miranda Bryant reported.

The volcanic eruption started on Monday evening at 10:17 p.m. local time near Grindavík, a town on the country's southwestern Reykjanes peninsula. The eruption created 2.5 miles of lava rivers in the region.

A spokesperson for the Icelandic Coast Guard told The Sun that a hiker flashed a light as a plane flew by on Tuesday, signaling a call for help. Police told The Guardian that the hiker was "exhausted, cold and shocked halfway to the eruption" when they were rescued.

Related stories

Iceland's authorities are now doubling down on their warnings to the public to stay away from the area by advising tourists to "think four times" before getting close to the site, according to The Guardian.

"A little information about the location of the eruption that will hopefully make people think four times before they set off. The first 500 meters are on a decent path, but then rough, rough lava takes over, which is extremely difficult to cross," police told The Guardian. "It will take an experienced hiker about 4-5 hours to walk this route, which is not for everyone."

Speaking to The Guardian, authorities added that there's "considerable gas pollution" in the area, where lava could also freeze over on Wednesday. (Icelandic police did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.)

Prior to the rescue, authorities had been urging people to stay away from the area due to toxic fumes being released into the atmosphere by the eruption. But some —  including tourists — have continued watching the lava flow from a distance since the volcano erupted.

The volcanic site is about two miles from Grindavík, where as many as 2,000 earthquakes created deep cracks and holes in the streets in November. The seismic activity led to an evacuation of 3,300 locals, as The Washington Post reported, and prompted nearby tourist sites like the Blue Lagoon to close as Iceland declared a state of emergency on November 11.

While Iceland's meteorological office thought the lava was headed towards Grindavík on Monday, on Tuesday, they said it looked like the eruption's course was taking a different direction, The Guardian reported at the time.

Before the volcano erupted, experts in volcanology told Business Insider that air travel probably wouldn't be affected so tourists wouldn't necessarily need to cancel their plans to visit Iceland.

On Wednesday, a few flights were canceled at Keflavik Airport, but most are arriving and taking off as usual, according to its website . And a Euronews report from Wednesday said the volcano is emitting "minor to no ash" — a good sign, since ash can typically impact flights by decreasing visibility and causing damage to aircraft.

Watch: This Iceland volcano erupted for the first time in 6,000 years, and it could keep erupting for decades

• Main content

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Iceland volcano tourists told to ‘think four times’ before getting too close

After a hiker is rescued by helicopter, police say route approaching site of eruption is ‘not for everyone’

Icelandic police have warned tourists to “think four times” before attempting to get close to the site of a spectacular volcanic eruption , after they had to rescue an exhausted hiker by helicopter.

Within hours of Monday night’s eruption, which followed weeks of earthquake activity, the site near the south-western town of Grindavík had become an attraction for inquisitive volcano enthusiasts.

Police said a hiker had to be rescued by helicopter on Tuesday after becoming “exhausted, cold and shocked halfway to the eruption”.

The 11-12 miles (18-20km) route to the site was “extremely challenging”, they added.

They said: “A little information about the location of the eruption that will hopefully make people think four times before they set off. The first 500 metres are on a decent path, but then rough, rough lava takes over, which is extremely difficult to cross. It can be assumed that it will take an experienced hiker about 4-5 hours to walk this route, which is not for everyone.”

Warning that the wet surface was expected to freeze over on Wednesday, they added there was also “considerable gas pollution and uncertainty in the area”, adding to the difficulty of the conditions. “Be careful,” they said.

Visiting volcanoes after an eruption has been a popular pursuit among locals, scientists and international tourists in recent years, during which time there have been a series of eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula.

The unique nature of this week’s eruption – spread across a 4km lava-spewing fissure – makes visiting the site especially challenging.

In the hours after the eruption, a bright orange glow was visible from miles around and many went to view the scene from a safe distance.

Unnur Íris Bjarnadóttir, 40, drove with her family from their home in Reykjavík to see the fissure from the road towards Keflavik airport. The architect, her husband and their children, aged 11 and 13, pulled over to witness the once-in-a-lifetime sight on Monday night.

“It had just started snowing in the morning, the earth was really white,” she said. “And then there was a really big orange sky in front of us.”

In the 30 minutes or so that they stood there watching, until about midnight, they saw the fissure extend. “You could see the earth was opening up and the line was getting longer. It was beautiful to see,” she said.

The Icelandic meteorological office said on Wednesday that the power, seismicity and deformation of the volcanic fissure eruption, which started with a powerful seismic swarm at 9pm on Monday, resulting in an eruption at 10.17pm, had now decreased.

The latest surveillance photos showed activity was now constrained to two craters, down from three, they said.

More on this story

Iceland volcanic eruption: barriers appear to hold back lava outside town

‘This is the end’: people who fled Icelandic volcano fear their town will not survive

Iceland volcano erupts for second time this year with lava close to power plant

‘This town might be over’: Grindavík residents face uncertain future after volcano erupts again

Rescuers in daring bid to save sheep trapped by Iceland volcano

Houses set alight as lava from volcano eruption reaches Icelandic town

Iceland downgrades volcano threat level as activity appears to end

‘It surprised the scientists’: Grindavík residents in limbo after powerful eruption

Most viewed.

• India Today
• Business Today
• Reader’s Digest
• Harper's Bazaar
• Brides Today
• Cosmopolitan
• Aaj Tak Campus
• India Today Hindi

Chinese tourist dies after falling 250 feet into active volcano in Indonesia

The chinese tourist was posing for a photo when she lost her balance and fell into the volcano in east java..

Listen to Story

• Tourist went to watch 'blue fire' phenomenon near volcano Ijen
• She fell while walking backwards to pose for photos
• Body retrieved after two-hour operation

A 31-year-old Chinese tourist has died after falling 250 feet onto an active volcano in Indonesia. The incident happened when the woman, Huang Lihong (31), and her husband Zhang Yong, 32, were on a guided tour to Ijen - a volcano park in East Java - to watch its popular "blue fire" phenomenon, a report in The New York Post said.

While posing to get a photo, Lihong lost her balance and fell into the volcano. Her body was retrieved by rescuers after an operation of nearly two hours.

Local tour guides said Lihong initially maintained a safe distance from the edge of the live volcano but then started walking backwards while posing for the photos.

She then accidentally stepped on her clothing, tripped and fell into the mouth of the volcano, the tour guides said.

Indonesian rescuers have raced to evacuate thousands of people after a volcano erupted five times, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport and issue a warning that the crater collapsing into the sea could cause a tsunami.

Mount Ruang's crater flamed with lava against a backdrop of lightning bolts overnight after eruptions pushed an ash column more than a mile into the sky and forced authorities to raise their alert to the highest level of a four-tiered system.

Taka, a local fisherman who only gave one name, was at sea helping people to safety by boat when the crater unleashed a fiery orange column.

"There was a mix of fire and rocks. Lava flowed in various directions," he told AFP.

The volcano sits on a remote island in Indonesia's outermost region and has a peak 725 metres above sea level. It was still billowing a column of smoke up to 800 metres high on Thursday morning, officials said.

Houses on Tagulandang, another remote island nearby, were riddled with holes from falling volcanic rocks on Thursday, rescuers said, and residents were preparing to leave at least temporarily.

"The road condition … is covered by volcanic material," rescuer Ikram Al Ulah told AFP by phone from the Tagulandang seaport.

"Many people are still wandering around. Maybe to evacuate precious goods from their house."

There were no reports of deaths or injuries but authorities said they were rushing to evacuate more than 11,000 residents from the area around Tagulandang, which is home to about 20,000 people.

Residents and tourists evacuated 

Tourists and residents were warned to remain outside a 6 kilometre exclusion zone.

Some residents were already trying to flee in a panic, according to officials.

"People evacuated on their own … due to the volcano's eruption and small rocks that fell," local search and rescue agency official Jandry Paendong said in a statement on Thursday.

"The people scattered to find evacuation routes."

He said 20 staff were helping evacuate residents along the coastline near the volcano on rubber boats.

Authorities also evacuated a prison on Tagulandang, ferrying 17 inmates along with 11 officials and 19 residents by boat to Likupang seaport in northern Sulawesi island, according to rescuer Ikram Al Ulah.

More than 800 people were initially taken from Ruang to Tagulandang after the first eruptions overnight Tuesday, before further eruptions on Wednesday prompted evacuations from that wider zone.

Those displaced gathered at temporary shelters on Tagulandang and were given mats, blankets and masks by authorities.

The navy sent a warship to deliver aid and help the evacuation effort, it said on Thursday, while North Sulawesi police sent dozens of officers.

The warship evacuated 195 people from Tagulandang to Bitung, a coastal city in North Sulawesi, on Thursday evening, a navy spokesperson told AFP.

Tsunami warning

Authorities also warned of a possible tsunami as a result of the eruptions.

"The communities in Tagulandang island [need] to be on alert for … [a] tsunami caused by the collapse of the volcano's body into the sea," volcanology agency head Hendra Gunawan said in a statement on Wednesday.

The authorities' fears were compounded by previous experience.

The crater of Mount Anak Krakatoa between Java and Sumatra islands partly collapsed in 2018 when a major eruption sent huge chunks of the volcano sliding into the ocean, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 400 people and injured thousands.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire".

Mount Ruang's eruption led to the closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado city, located more than 100 kilometres from the volcano, until midnight Thursday.

The airport hosts airlines that fly to Singapore, South Korea and China.

Budget airline AirAsia said it also cancelled flights to and from nine airports in eastern Malaysia and Brunei until Friday morning.

The volcano's last major eruption was in 2002, also requiring the evacuation of residents.

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

Indonesia issues tsunami alert as volcano erupts.

Foul-smelling sulphur and the risk of death won't stop tourists from climbing Indonesia's active volcanoes

• Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents
• Environment
• Human Interest
• Volcanic Eruptions

U.S. tourist faces 12 years in prison after taking ammunition to Turks and Caicos

An Oklahoma man faces up to 12 years in prison on a Caribbean island after customs officials found ammunition in his luggage.

Ryan Watson traveled to Turks and Caicos with his wife, Valerie, to celebrate his 40th birthday on April 7. They went with two friends who had also turned 40.

The vacation came to an abrupt end when airport staff members found a zip-close bag containing bullets in the couple's carry-on luggage. Watson said it was hunting ammunition he had accidentally brought with him — but under a strict law in Turks and Caicos, a court may still impose a mandatory 12-year sentence.

"They were hunting ammunition rounds that I use for whitetail deer," Watson told NBC Boston in an interview conducted last week that aired after their first court appearance Tuesday.

"I recognized them, and I thought, 'Oh, man, what a bonehead mistake that I had no idea that those were in there,'" he said.

The couple were arrested and charged with possession of ammunition. Authorities seized their passports and explained the penalties they faced.

Valerie Watson said in the interview: "When I heard that, I immediately was terrified, because I was like we can't both be in prison for 12 years. We have kids at home, and this is such an innocent mistake."

The charges against her were dropped, and she returned home to Oklahoma City on Tuesday after the court hearing to be reunited with her two young children.

"Our goal is to get Ryan home, because we can’t be a family without Dad," she said.

The couple also spoke about the financial burden of a much longer-than-planned trip. "This is something that we may never recover from," Ryan Watson said.

The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas issued a warning to travelers in September about a law that strongly prohibits possession of firearms or ammunition in Turks and Caicos, an overseas British territory southeast of the Bahamas that is a popular vacation spot.

It said: "We wish to remind all travelers that declaring a weapon in your luggage with an airline carrier does not grant permission to bring the weapon into TCI [Turks and Caicos Islands] and will result in your arrest."

The embassy added: "If you bring a firearm or ammunition into TCI, we will not be able to secure your release from custody."

The embassy and the government in Turks and Caicos did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The same thing happened to another American, Bryan Hagerich, of Pennsylvania, who was arrested after ammunition was found in his luggage before he tried to board a flight out of Turks and Caicos in February. He said he accidentally left it in his bag.

Hagerich was on a family vacation with his wife and two young children but has now been in the country for 70 days. He spent eight days in prison before he posted bail.

"It’s incredibly scary. You know, you just don’t know what the next day may bring — you know, what path this may take," Hagerich told NBC Boston.

"You know, it’s certainly a lot different than packing your bags and going away with your family for a few days. It’s been the worst 70 days of my life," he said.

Hagerich, once a professional baseball player, was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the MLB 2007 June amateur draft from the University of Delaware.

His case goes to trial May 3.

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

Oklahoma man facing 12 years in Turks & Caicos prison released on bond, banned from travel

Ryan watson made bail a couple weeks after he was detained and arrested for ammo possession in turks & caicos. but he's not allowed to leave..

An American man facing 12 years in prison in Turks & Caicos after airport security found ammunition in his duffel bag won’t have to spend one more night in jail . For now.

Ryan Watson, 40, appeared before a court on Wednesday, agreeing to pay $15,000 to secure his release, according to a news alert from The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force. 

The court granted Watson's release about two weeks after he was initially detained and arrested. He's being released with a slew of stipulations, including being prohibited from leaving the archipelago nation. He also had to surrender his passport and travel documents to the court, and needs to report to police twice a week as his case moves through the system.

His next court hearing is set for June 7.

Here’s what we know.

Why were Ryan and Valerie Watson detained in the Turks and Caicos?

Ryan and Valerie Watson were in Turks & Caicos to celebrate the 40th birthdays of several friends in early April, USA TODAY reported.

The couple was trying to catch a flight back home on April 12, when airport security found four rounds of ammunition “unknowingly left in a duffel bag from a deer hunting trip,” according to a GoFundMe post made on behalf of the family. 

They were both questioned and subsequently charged with possession of ammunition, a charge that carries a minimum of 12 years in prison in Turks & Caicos.

The couple was stuck on the island without passports, unable to get back to their two young children, which left Valerie Watson “terrified.” 

“We can't both be in prison for 12 years. We have kids at home," she told WBTS-TV in Boston  "And this is such an innocent mistake that we ... didn't even know it was there. So yeah, my immediate thought was our kids and them being parentless for that long."

Ryan Watson maintains that it was a “bonehead mistake” on his part, not knowing that the ammunition rounds he typically uses to hunt whitetail deer were in his bag, the outlet reported.

Ultimately, the charges were dropped against Valerie Watson, who has returned to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma governor vouches for family: ‘Outstanding members of the community’ 

Days after the Watson family was detained, Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt sent a letter to the Turks & Caicos Islands government in an attempt to get the home sooner.

“The Watsons are upstanding members of their community and the State of Oklahoma, and I can assure you countless others stand willing to confirm their high moral characters,” Stitt said.

He continued to say that the couple would never “intentionally break the law,” emphasizing the importance of having them return to Oklahoma so they can continue to serve the community, Valerie as a school teacher and Ryan as a medical product salesman.

 And so that their children, Van and Ellie, don’t have to face another day without both parents, he said.

Family creates GoFundMe to bring Ryan Watson home 

Close friends have created a GoFundMe on behalf of the Watson family to cover the costs of “mounting legal fees, living expenses, and the overwhelming stress of their situation.” 

Valerie Watson said that the strain her family is under is tremendous, telling WBTS-TV that it could “ruin them.” 

“We've already talked, and we're like, what if we lose our house? Which, when we moved to Oklahoma, we built a home that we thought was our forever home,” she said. 

The sentiment was echoed by Ryan Watson, who says “this is something that we may never recover from.” 

“The emotional and financial toll is immense, and they are at risk of losing everything,” the fundraiser description reads. 

The GoFundMe had raised about $196,000 of the $250,000 goal by Friday night. 

What happens next?

Valerie Watson and her children are awaiting her husband’s next court appearance, set for June 7.

Even though Ryan Watson “forgot” about the ammunition in his bag, he may not be able to leave the Turks & Caicos Islands without serving time. The government prohibits anyone, of status or origin, to possess a firearm, ammunition, or any other weapon.

There are exceptions to this, of course, but the court is still required to issue “both a sentence of imprisonment and a fine” that are in line with what the court would consider an “exceptional circumstance,” USA TODAY reported. 

The Turks & Caicos government stiffened the penalties for firearm possession in February, noting that there were a handful of cases involving "exceptional circumstances" that allowed accused people to get away with paying a fine. “exceptional circumstances."

• ENVIRONMENT

Scientists found life in a volcano’s ‘lava tubes’—life on other planets could be next

A Canary Islands volcano pushed rivers of molten lava through the earth. Now scientists and explorers trek through the cooling underground, looking for insights into life on this planet—and perhaps on others.

We could be on another planet.

A craggy, hostile surface stretches as far as the eye can see, framed by slopes of black ash. These are the new lava flows on La Palma, in the volcanic Canarian archipelago, off the coast of Morocco. They appeared in the fall of 2021, when, for three months, more than 50 billion gallons of molten rock erupted from the island’s Tajogaite volcano.  

Transit through most of the lava field is still reserved for scientists and environmental officials. I’m accompanying Octavio Fernández Lorenzo, vice president of the Canary Islands Speleology Federation. Alongside researchers from the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Fernández is responsible for exploring and surveying the tunnels that lava left in its wake. Known in most scientific literature as pyroducts or lava tubes, they have a more poetic name here on La Palma: caños de fuego, fire pipes.

Fernández hands me a helmet, checks our water supply, and heads toward a white fence where a sign warns us not to cross. The road that brought us to this place cuts off abruptly and disappears under the blanket of lava. It feels as if we’re abandoning civilization.

( Lava built this island—then entombed towns in stone. )

Fire pipes can be found almost anywhere on the planet where there is, or has been, volcanic activity. In contrast to typical caves, formed over millions of years, these cavities are made in a geological instant. But not all volcanoes create lava tubes. The eruption must be long enough to expel adequate lava. That lava must be hot enough and composed of the right materials to remain fluid. And it has to descend a slope, at the right speed.

At around 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, pahoehoe —“smooth” in Hawaiian—lava can flow. “It’s the same word used to define a calm sea,” says Fernández. I can picture it quite vividly. A sea of incandescent, syrupy lava advances, spilling downhill. The outer layer cools on contact with the air and begins to solidify, forming a crust that will become the roof of the tube. The lava continues to stream, unimpeded for miles, under that thermally insulated cover. When the eruption dies down and the channels drain, the result is a subterranean labyrinth of hollow tunnels separated from the surface only by the volcano’s skin.  

Leaning on a long white stick, which helps him move nimbly over hardened lava, Fernández looks a bit like a wizard from The Lord of the Rings. He studies our strides, as if he were the guardian of this newborn space. “Step where I step,” he warns. “This whole environment is extremely fragile.” It seems paradoxical that this imposing landscape, once capable of swallowing houses and banana plantations, could now be vulnerable.

Our hike to the tube takes an hour along a slope of sharp, living rock. This is aa lava, a Hawaiian term for “rough and stony” that many believe sounds like what someone walking barefoot on this jagged surface might say. Phrases from Hawaii’s active and intensely studied hot spots have been adopted by volcanology. Other languages have their own words that evoke images. For example, in Spanish this barren terrain is called malpaís, or bad land.

We walk slowly. Fernández picks up a tiny, immaculately white pyroclastic rock and hands it to me. It’s what researchers call restingolite, after the eruption in the La Restinga region of the neighboring island of El Hierro in 2011, when hundreds of pieces of whitish rock were found floating on the ocean, giving rise to a scientific debate that, unlike the eruption, has yet to die down. One hypothesis for their origin: They’re bits of the foundation on which La Palma grew, ancient ocean sediments from that two million-year-old seabed. Looking at the small fragment brings about an inexplicable feeling of vertigo. David Sanz Mangas, a geological engineer specializing in the study of extreme events and heritage at IGME, puts it this way: “It’s like looking out a window into our past.”

( Rediscover our coverage of the Canary Islands volcanic eruption. )

Barely a month into the eruption on La Palma, scientists detected lava tubes. They’re not obvious to the naked eye; drone imagery captured during the eruption helped predict their possible routes. One tube was discovered in June 2022, six months after the eruption ceased, as workers were starting to build a new road over the hardened flow. When they came across a cavelike space, they had to pause. And that was when Sanz, who had relocated from Madrid to the Canary Islands to study the eruption’s aftermath, joined the team and began exploring the newborn fire pipes of La Palma.

“Based on field data obtained in the Hawaiian archipelago, the place with the largest volcanic cavities in the world, we assumed exploration of the tubes could begin about two years after the eruption,” he says. But here “we saw that, with difficulty, it was accessible.”

Drones are crucial to fieldwork. “The first step was to begin a series of thermal flights that would monitor the open holes in the lava field,” he says. “And to start exploring them little by little.”

The so-called red tube is a product of the lava rivers that, three years ago, flowed down into the small town of Todoque. Today a pair of entrances about 200 feet apart allow air to circulate. “Instead of hot air coming out, the mouth sucks in fresh air from outside,” Fernández says. “This is the best laboratory we have right now to learn how the lava flows cool.” We turn our headlamps on, crawl in, and confront the surprising reddish color of the walls. On the ceiling we see dark brown lava stalactites hanging like droplets that solidified before they could fall and are now suspended forever. They look like melted chocolate.

Inside the tube, the air is cooler than the walls—anywhere from 120 to 210 degrees, according to a probe. We balance against these walls with our gloved hands as we move forward, step by step. The humidity and the mix of temperatures give the cave the pleasant sensation of a Turkish bath.

With a thermal drone, Fernández takes temperature readings. About a hundred yards in from the mouth, he tells us to stop: The heat is increasing significantly. Not far ahead, the tube narrows and exhales a temperature of more than 480 degrees. In the video feed, the air shudders like a mirage.

This mouth is just one of more than a hundred identified so far, mostly by drone flights overhead—though some remain too camouflaged to spot from the air. Just a tiny number have been explored. Openings are viable only if the temperature allows. In lava flows up to 65 feet thick, cooling can go on for two and a half years; at 150 or 200 feet thick, it might be 20 years.

( These crystal lava shards are ‘four-dimensional videos’ of a volcano’s underworld. )

You May Also Like

These crystal lava shards are ‘four dimensional videos’ of a volcano’s underworld

Volcanoes don’t just erupt on schedule—but they have been in Iceland

Iceland's latest eruption is quieting down—but the explosive upheaval isn't over yet

It’s too soon to predict how far these tunnels reach. Scientists believe that this network may be composed of up to three overlapping levels. Sanz thinks it could be the most extensive tube system in Europe. That title is currently held by the Viento-Sobrado cave system beneath Mount Teide on the neighboring island of Tenerife. With more than 11 miles of tunnels, it was considered the largest volcanic tube in the world for a brief moment until, in 1995, a man named Harry Shick found a cave entrance in his yard on the island of Hawaii. It would turn out to be the access point to more than 40 miles of tubes, branching out from the Kilauea volcano.

There is much to learn from these tunnels, and perhaps not just about our world. Ana Zélia Miller, a geomicrobiologist from Seville’s Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology, is the daughter of artists. The course of her life changed when her parents gave her a microscope at the age of nine. Since then, she has focused her lens on those small life-forms that go unnoticed by the human eye. Her first discoveries were made in La Palma’s fire pipes, studying their peculiarly gelatinous speleothems, or mineral deposit formations.

Miller’s research on extremophile species, especially bacteria capable of obtaining the energy to develop from inorganic matter, led the European Space Agency to recruit her for its Pangaea-X project. The mission was to train astronauts in the collection and analysis of microbial samples on the nearby island of Lanzarote inside a lava tube whose conditions appear comparable to lava tubes on the moon and Mars.

Since 2009, when a Japanese space probe discovered the Marius Hills Skylight—a possible entrance to one of the moon’s volcanic tubes—the scientific community has been studying the similarities between terrestrial volcanic tubes and their planetary counterparts. For Miller, the question is no longer if we will find life on other planets, but when.

“Martian and lunar caves differ greatly from ours in terms of environmental conditions and gravity, which affect their size and stability. However, their formation and surroundings have more in common with terrestrial ones than one might think,” says Francesco Sauro, a European Space Agency scientist and National Geographic Explorer. If there is, or has been, life in these otherworldly lava tubes, it could be microbial, as it is in the fire pipes of La Palma.

“The recent eruption on La Palma gives us a unique opportunity to learn about the pioneering microbiota in these newly formed lava tubes,” says Miller. The island’s volcanic tubes are already inhabited. Miller’s team has identified known bacteria as well as other life—belonging to the phyla Pseudomonadota and Bacteroidota—which could ultimately be identified as new species.

( Dramatic photos show the 2021 La Palma volcanic eruption. )

La Palma’s Volcano Route, an old hiking trail that reveals the island’s distinctive landscape, is open again. From there, a path, still carpeted with ashes, leads to another partially explored tube, known by scientists as hornito bonito —pretty little oven. We come across a group of tourists who have hiked to see the main cone of the volcano, recently named Tajogaite, “cracked mountain” in the island’s native language. The rest of the area requires accreditation, and even a gas meter and masks, because conditions can vary from one moment to the next.

The ash field is deserted, as unspoiled as the eruption left it, and covered with small craters. Each one houses a rounded stone, like an oyster with a pearl. The stones are viscous fragments spat out by the volcano, smoothed by friction with the air. Volcanic bombs, says Fernández. He takes one in his hands to show me and then puts it back in its place. They are part of this virgin landscape, at least until someone decides to start taking them as souvenirs.  

“The ideal would be to create a network of marked and monitored trails so that everyone could enjoy this new geological richness, without damaging it and without encountering any risk,” Fernández says. He pays close attention to our steps and turns at any suspicious creak. The layer of hardened lava is a thin biscuit, not even two inches thick. Underneath there may be a bubble, a crack where the temperature can exceed 900 degrees.

The hornito bonito rises up like an artisanal oven or a sandcastle. “The hornitos are like mini-volcanoes,” explains Fernández. “This one was formed in just three days.” It appeared right above the north face of the volcano’s main cone, when a jet of lava shot a hundred feet into the air. As it lost strength, gases began to bubble up, expelling spatters that piled up until they formed a truncated, conical tower.

A nearby entrance is a huge hole that descends into the tube, giving an idea of the lava waterfall that must have circulated, the edges solidifying around it. A light white powder seems to settle on everything, condensing into tiny white stalactites, as thin as needles—researchers are still studying their composition. They are ephemeral minerals, doomed to transform and disappear with every drop of water. Maybe by the time we know what they are, they won’t exist anymore.

The earth here gives you a sense of reverence toward places touched by disasters. I turn my headlamp off to feel the darkness. The silence and the solitude are breathtaking. Eventually, we cross the lava field back to our cars. It’s raining, and the puddling water kicks up clouds of steam. Our clothes are soaked, but I don’t feel cold. Heat is still emanating from the living rock.

( Can tourism help recovery after a disaster? )

Related Topics

• VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
• WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Why Iceland's latest eruption may be the most dangerous in recent history

Startling volcanic activity has town in Iceland bracing for crisis

Iceland has entered a new volcanic era

The world’s loneliest volcano may hold something truly rare. We went to find it.

The island of Santorini is hiding an explosive secret

• Environment

History & Culture

• History & Culture
• Coronavirus Coverage
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Paid Content
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Watch CBS News

American tourist facing possible 12-year prison sentence after ammo found in luggage in Turks and Caicos

By Kris Van Cleave

Updated on: April 25, 2024 / 7:28 PM EDT / CBS News

Valerie Watson returned to Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport in tears on Tuesday morning in a drastic departure from how she imagined her long weekend trip to Turks and Caicos would end.

Watson is home, but her husband, Ryan Watson, was jailed on the island and is facing a potential mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years behind bars after airport security allegedly found four rounds of hunting ammo in his carry-on bag earlier this month. 

"We were trying to pack board shorts and flip flops," Valerie Watson told CBS News. "Packing ammunition was not at all our intent."

Valerie Watson, who learned Sunday she would not be charged and would be allowed to return home, said the trip "went from what was supposed to be a dream vacation to a nightmare."

Ryan Watson was released on bail after two nights , but must remain on the island and check in with police twice a week.

The Watsons are not the only ones going through this ordeal.

Bryan Hagerich is awaiting trial after ammo was found in the Pennsylvania man's checked bag in February.

"I subsequently spent eight nights in their local jail. Some of the darkest, hardest times of my life, quite frankly," Hagerich said. "These last 70 days have been kind of a roller coaster, just the pain and suffering of having your family at home and I'm here."

Possessing a gun or ammunition is prohibited in Turks and Caicos, but tourists were previously often able to just pay a fine. In February, however, a court order mandated that even tourists in the process of leaving the country are subject to prison time.

Since November 2022, eight firearms and ammunition prosecutions in total have been brought involving tourists from the United States, three of which are currently before the court with each of the defendants on bail.

Last year, a judge found Michael Grim from Indiana had "exceptional circumstances" when he pleaded guilty to accidentally having ammunition in his checked bag. He served almost six months in prison. 

"No clean running water. You're kind of exposed to the environment 24/7," he told CBS News. "Mosquitoes and tropical illnesses are a real concern. There's some hostile actors in the prison."

The judge was hoping to send a message to other Americans. 

"[His] sentencing was completely predicated on the fact that I was an American," Grim said. 

The U.S. embassy last September posted a travel alert online, warning people to "check your luggage for stray ammunition," noting it would "not be able to secure your release from custody."

In a statement, a State Department spokesperson told CBS News, "We are aware of the arrest of U.S. citizens in Turks and Caicos.  When a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. In a foreign country, U.S. citizens are subject to that country's laws, even if they differ from those in the United States." 

Last year, TSA found a record 6,737 guns at airport security checkpoints, and most of them were loaded.  

"I can't even begin to think that this very innocent, regrettable mistake would prevent me from being able to watch my son graduate or teach him to shave or take my daughter to dances," Ryan Watson said. "It's just unfathomable. I do not — I can't process it."

The Turks and Caicos government responded to CBS News in a lengthy statement confirming the law and reiterating that, even if extenuating circumstances are found to be present, the judge is required to mandate prison time.   

Kris Van Cleave is CBS News' senior transportation and national correspondent based in Phoenix.

More from CBS News

U.S. tourist arrested over ammo FaceTiming with kids as prison looms

U.S. bans most uses of paint-stripping solvent after dozens of deaths

Gang leader who turned D.C. area into "hunting ground" gets life in prison

16,000 people with disabilities are in institutions. Here's what experts say should change.

Chinese woman posing for photo dies after fall from edge of crater on Indonesian volcano

A Chinese woman died after and falling off the edge of a crater while posing for a photo on an Indonesian volcano known for its popular “blue fire” phenomenon .

Huang Lihong, 31, and her husband Zhang Yong were in the East Java province on a guided tour when the incident took place. The duo, in their bid to watch the sunrise, had climbed to the edge of the crater of Ijen – a volcano tourism park in the region, reported Hongxing News.

According to the police, she plummeted from a height of 75m and died from the impact of her fall. The death has been marked as an accident, police officials said.

Initially, she was maintaining a safe distance of two to three metres away from the edge of the cliff while taking the photos, the tour guide said.

He added that he had warned the couple about the dangerous points.

However, Lihong then started moving backwards to take a photo closer to a tree for a backdrop of bare straggly branches, the guide said.

She accidentally stepped on her long and flowing clothing while walking backwards, causing her to fall off the cliff, according to reports.

It is not immediately clear if she was wearing a skirt or a dress.

The Ijen volcano is known for its “blue fire” caused by the blue light emitted from the combustion of sulfuric gases.

In 2018, scores of people were forced to evacuate their homes and at least 30 people were hospitalised after the volcano started to emit toxic gases.

Mount Ijen regularly releases small amounts of noxious gases but the site stays open to the public.

Indonesia is home to around 130 active volcanoes. Millions of Indonesians live and work near volcanoes, largely because of the fertile farming soil.

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.