The first group of Thai tourists safely rescued from Mount Rinjani on Lombok island yesterday are on their way back to Thailand this morning.

A post on the Facebook page of the Thai Embassy in Jakarta said that Thai Ambassador Songphol Sukchan sent off a group 29 Thais back to Bangkok at 7 am local time this morning.  They were to board an Air Asia flight via Kuala Lumpur.    They were among 216 Thais stranded on the mountain after an earthquake struck the island on Sunday.  They were all brought down to safety yesterday evening.

The embassy said a total of 119 of the Thais were being taken care of at Lombok Raya Hotel and 58 of them are scheduled to leave for Thailand today to be followed by another 24 tomorrow.   The rest will be looked after by the embassy until they are ready to fly home.

Ambassador Songphol also informed the Thai tourists that HM the King has expressed concern over their safety.

Mount Rinjani is a well-known tourist spot popular among trekkers, including those from Thailand.