“While Juliana is NEEDING HELP! We don’t know the state of her health! She still has no water, food or warm clothes for three days!”
Juliana Marins, 26, was hiking early Saturday morning with a group when she reportedly slipped and fell from a cliff adjacent to the crater rim, according to Brazilian officials. The incident occurred around 6:30 am local time.
Authorities in Indonesia said rescue teams initially heard Marins calling for help and confirmed she was alive but appeared to be in shock
Park officials stated that “at the time she was safe, though she appeared to be in shock.” However, by the time rescuers descended the steep terrain later that day, they were unable to locate her or get a response, reports the BBC.
Footage circulating on social media, including drone images and clips recorded by nearby hikers, showed Marins alive and moving on Saturday. She appeared far below the trail, seated in loose soil. But by Sunday morning, rescuers reported that she had moved from her previous location and was no longer visible.
Search efforts have been significantly hindered by thick fog, unstable terrain, and poor weather conditions. Indonesian officials also noted that a thermal drone used to locate her had been hampered by the fog.
On Monday, rescuers were able to identify Marins again from a new location, suggesting she had fallen further. However, the operation was paused due to worsening weather. “Rescuers had advanced just 250m (820 ft) down, they had 350m (1148 ft) left to reach Juliana but they retreated,” her family posted online.
Marins’ family has publicly criticized the ongoing tourist activity in the area, stating that despite the rescue effort, the park remains open and hikers are still being allowed on the same route. “While Juliana is NEEDING HELP! We don’t know the state of her health! She still has no water, food or warm clothes for three days!” they wrote in a post.
Satyawan Pudyatmoko, a senior forestry official in Indonesia, responded to the criticism, saying the decision not to close the trail was made after evaluating that the evacuation would not be affected.
“Climbers were cautioned and directed not to approach the evacuation site,” he told the BBC. “Closing the climb would have potentially caused chaos for those climbers,” he said.
The Brazilian foreign ministry confirmed that it is monitoring the situation. Two embassy staff members to Indonesia to assist with the response. On Tuesday, Marins’ family confirmed that rescue operations had resumed.
Mount Rinjani, standing over 3,700 meters tall, is the second-highest volcano in Indonesia.
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