A Turkish tourist who attempted to climb Mount Agung but turned back afraid that the volcano was about to erupt proceeded to crash his motorbike on his way home. Luckily, local residents of Selat, a village not far south of the mountain, were on hand to help, according to a report by Nusa Bali.
Thirty-five-year-old Ramil Shchebardrel admitted that he had set off alone at around 6pm on Sunday with the intention of scaling Bali’s highest peak. According to the news outlet, he climbed via the Pasar Agung Temple in Sebudi and hiked until he was around a kilometer adrift from the top of the volcano when a sudden gust from the crater startled him enough to make him turn back.
He made it safely back to the parking lot at Pura Pasar Agung and continued his journey southwards on his motorbike. But when he passed a temple procession at Pura Puseh in Selat, his legs gave way and he fell off his bike.
Villagers involved in the procession helped him to the nearby Selat police station and he was quickly referred to the Straits Health Center. Medics confirmed he had lost control of his bike due to cramps in his leg, most likely caused by the cold temperatures on the mountain.
Despite authorities’ warnings against doing so, it seems that tourists are determined to try and climb Bali’s most active volcano of late. Just last month, three Russian tourists became local celebrities after footage of them fleeing an erupting Agung went viral on social media.
Agung’s alert status remains at Level III, or “standby” status. As such hiking, climbing and entering the hazard zone, which stretches 4 kilometers around the peak’s crater, are prohibited, though it’s unclear just how strictly authorities are managing to enforce it.
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