The approximately 560 hikers who sat on an active volcano on Indonesian holiday island of Lombok are saved. As Indonesian Civil Protection Authority said, a large proportion of hikers were led down from volcano Rinjani. At least three hikers – two carriers and one mountain guide – were brought to lower reaches of Rinjani in helicopter and would reach foot of volcano during day. There are also about ten hikers, all Indonesians, in difficult to reach area. All foreign hikers, however, were saved, it was said. Everyone's health is good.
At Lombok re had been an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 on Sunday morning. Tons of rock and mud had fallen on trails of volcano Rinjani and blocked walkers down path. There followed two more strong tremors and more than a hundred aftershocks. The rescue work is still ongoing.
According to Indonesian authorities, German, Dutch, French and US tourists were among those affected. The Foreign Office confirmed information. There was no evidence that re were deaths among Germans.
The earthquake killed 17 people, including an Indonesian hiker, a Malaysian tourist and several children. More than 220 people suffered severe injuries, thousands of buildings were destroyed, including a hospital. More than 7,500 people had to be accommodated in temporary shelters. Indonesia's head of state Joko Widodo, who visited disaster area on Monday, promised financial help to residents.
Rinjani is popular with touristsThe Rinjani is second highest volcano in Indonesia with 3,726 meters and is a popular destination for tourists from all over world. Many tour operators offer climbing tours.
The last time it erupted was volcano in fall of 2016. The Indonesia, which is made up of numerous islands, is located on so-called Pacific Ring, where tectonic plates collide. There are frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It was only in January that several people were seriously injured and dozens of houses were damaged in a quake of magnitude 6.0 on Indonesian island of Java.
Date Of Update: 01 August 2018, 12:00
