The authorities suspected the tourist’s cause of death was exhaustion and a history of illness.
A foreign tourist from Poland passed away in the middle of trekking at the Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park in Banyuwangi, East Java, on Thursday, 15th February. The deceased, identified with an initial ‘KAS’, worked as a chief of a Bali-based travel agency. He was 53 years old.
Dwi Putro Sugiarto, the Head of the Conservation Section of the BKSDA (Natural Resources Conservation Centre) Region V Banyuwangi, stated that the deceased visited the Ijen Nature Reserve with three other individuals, including a driver and two guests.
“The victim, KAS, along with his driver, brought two foreign guests to Paltuding and planned to trek the Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park,” Sugiarto told the press on Friday, 16th February.
The deceased and his group started trekking Mount Ijen in the daytime, at approximately 11:30 AM local time. The initial news of the tourist’s death was first documented around 2:13 PM local time.
“Officials received information from the public that a tourist was lying down on the climbing route between Pondok Bunder and the peak of Ijen Crater,” Sugiarto later explained. It is suspected that KAS had already passed away before his body was discovered by the authorities.
Upon receiving the information, RKW 18 (Regional Conservation Resort) personnel headed towards the location and evaluated the deceased’s condition. They promptly transported the body to the nearest health facility.
Sugiarto added, “The victim was taken to the Licin Community Health Center and then, transferred to Blambangan Regional Hospital – accompanied by the police.”
The official cause of the KAH’s death is not yet known. However, Sugiarto also told the press, “The cause of the victim’s death is suspected to be exhaustion and a history of illness”. The body has been picked up by the deceased’s family.