The slopes of Mount Rinjani. Photo: David Wollschlegel
A Brazilian tourist has been stranded on the slopes of Mount Rinjani – a volcano on the Indonesian island of Lombok – for three days. Attempts to rescue her have been unsuccessful thus far.
Juliana Marins, a 26-year-old from Niteroi, Brazil, was participating in a hike to the top of the volcano when she fell near the crater around 6:30 a.m. (local time) on Saturday, June 20. She reportedly was lagging behind the pace of her group of five other tourists and their guide. But other hikers heard her cries and spotted her 300 meters down a steep slope. One hiker even launched a drone to locate her and confirm she was still alive.
Rescue attempts have not been able to reach her after three days. A rescue update explained that technical cliff overhangs and dense fog had hindered efforts. The weather conditions also prevented a helicopter response.
On Sunday, rescuers couldn’t locate Marins as she was no longer in her previous location. They successfully spotted her again on Monday morning – 48 hours since the fall – in a new location 500 meters below the trail, stuck on a rock cliff and motionless.
There are conflicting reports on whether rescuers have been able to deliver food, water, and clothing to Marins. An Instagram account created by Marins’ family to provide updates on the rescue said that initial reports from the Indonesian government that she had received supplies turned out to be false.
The latest update on the account says that two experienced mountaineers were involved in the rescue and are currently en route to the site of the fall.
At the time of publication, it is the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 24 in Indonesia. Tuesday will mark 72 hours since Marins has been stuck on the volcano. Rescuers emphasize that it’s generally important to reach subjects within 72 hours to increase chances of survival.
Mount Rinjani is an active, 12,220-foot volcano on the north side of Lombok; it’s the second-tallest peak in Indonesia. Marins’ accident is not the only one in recent years. Just last month, in May, a Malaysian man died from a fall on the mountain, and in 2022, a Portuguese man also died after a fall on Rinjani.
Marins has been traveling in Asia since February, visiting the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand before going to Indonesia.
