Juliana Marins, who fell from the trail on Indonesia’s Mount Rinjani volcano, has been found dead after four days. She disappeared from a guided early morning hike around 6:30 on Saturday morning, slipping off the rim into the crater. She survived the fall and began calling for help. Rescuers tried but failed to reach her.
Weather hampered subsequent efforts, but on Tuesday, they launched a third attempt to reach Marins. The first rescuer reached her 600m below the trail and found her unresponsive. Three others reached her and confirmed that Marins had died. She had been trapped on the volcanic slope for four days, facing cold, stormy weather without any supplies, possibly injured from the fall.
Her family reported her death on Instagram. Their account, advocating for her swift rescue, has gained over a million concerned followers in four days. “Today, the rescue team managed to reach the place where Juliana Marins was. With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive.”
Dashed hopes
It had seemed that she might get through this alive. But on Sunday, a day after her initial slip, she had fallen further down the crumbling cliff, and authorities were unable to find her. Weather reduced visibility and made the terrain slippery and unstable, hampering efforts to both find and reach her.
On Monday morning, drone footage helped locate Marins again, several hundred meters further down. Rescue teams again attempted to descend to her position, but weather conditions prevented success. Reuters interviewed Muhammad Hariyadi, the head of local rescue efforts, who explained that the soft sandy terrain had prevented them from rescuing Marins using ropes.
Indonesian authorities reported that the rescuers had been able to deliver food and water to Marins, but the Brazilian embassy in Jakarta contested this claim. Marins’ family also disbelieves the claim, writing on Instagram that Marins had been without food or water the entire time.
Juliana Marins was a 26-year-old publicist and dancer who had backpacked through Vietnam and Thailand before arriving in Indonesia. Photo: resgatejulianamarins/Instagram
After discovering her lifeless body, rescuers had to retreat due to worsening weather. They plan to return today, June 25, to retrieve her remains. However, heavy rain and cloudy conditions are expected to continue, and may prevent their success.
Thousands of visitors flock to Rinjani annually. However, falls have claimed several lives in the past few years. An earthquake in 2018 trapped 600 tourists on Mount Rinjani, and at least one died. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry closed hiking routes on Rinjani yesterday. This precaution was taken both out of respect for Marins’ family and to simplify rescue efforts.
