Gunung Rinjani claims 7 lives

Seven Indonesia hikers have been found dead on the slopes of Gunung Rinjani, the massive volcanic peak on the island of Lombok. According to reports the group decided to hike the mountain in bad weather conditions, without camping equipment or enough food. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.

7 Indonesian students die while hiking up volcano

JAKARTA (AP): Seven Indonesian hikers died in bad weather as they attempted to climb a towering volcano in the far east of the country, police said Monday.

A porter who helped to recover the bodies from Mount Rinjani on Lombok island on Sunday told Antara news agency they may have died from exposure or starvation.

“In their rucksacks we found cooking equipment but no food, so we think they ran out of food in very cold weather,” the agency quoted Martadin as saying. Martadin was identified by a single name.

Police Sgt. Eko told The Associated Press the exact cause of death had not been established, but that bad weather had wracked the 3,726 meter peak in recent days. Eko asked to beidentified by a single name.

The group was reported missing on Saturday, but it was unclear when the students left for the peak.Mount Rinjani is classified as an active volcano, although it last erupted in 2004.

Indonesia has more than 150 active volcanoes, more than any other country. When they are quiet, walking up them is a popular pastime.

It takes at least three days to hike to the crater of Mount Rinjani, which is the country’s third highest volcano.

As any day-hiker knows, you must take plentiful amounts of water with you, plus some food. Even in the tropics temperatures drop with increased altitude. A motorbike ride over the highlands of Bali will give you an idea how chilly things can get. Without water you’ll become dehydrated, without food you’ll be unable to maintain energy levels and without camping equipment there’s no way of regaining body warmth. The smartest thing these folks could of done is slowly hike down as soon as things got unpleasant. Instead they pushed on and were unable to make it back.

Hiking Rinjani can be a great experience and generally takes 3 days, with a guide.