DENPASAR ~ A young man from Surabaya in East Java died during a decent of Mount Agung after he fell into a ravine, officials said this week.

According to one member of the Search and Rescue team, the body of Munie Setiabudi, 24, was found at the bottom of the chasm on May 6.

“The victim had serious head injuries and the body had turned blue,” the official said.

He said the body was taken directly to Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, in preparation to be sent home to his family in Surabaya.

Police questioned fellow climber Nurbianto, 17, after the accident, and he described how their two-day trek on the mountain in east Bali, which began on May 5, ended in tragedy.

“We stopped to rest and take photos for a moment at the peak of the mountain, then began our descent. He started to run and I warned him to stop, but he kept going and then suddenly disappeared into a chasm 30 meters deep.

“I could see him at the bottom of it, but he was unconscious and I had to leave him to get help,” he said.

At 3,142 metres above sea level, Mt. Agung, an active volcano, claims a number of climbers’ lives each year.