Brazilian tourist found dead after falling into active volcano in Indonesia: Latest

Juliana Marins has been found dead after she was stranded on a volcano cliff in Indonesia for four days.

The 27-year-old was hiking with five friends on Mount Rinjani on Saturday when she slipped and fell off a cliff on the side of the 3,726-meter (12,224 feet) mountain, according to Indonesian authorities.

Located in West Nusa Tenggara province, the active volcano is a popular tourist site in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

“After four days of work, hindered by adverse weather, terrain and visibility conditions in the region, teams from Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency found the body of the Brazilian tourist,” Brazil’s government said in a statement.

Head of local rescuers Muhammad Hariyadi had said that Marins fell off a cliff on the mountain but not into the volcano crater, while noting that the soft sand in the area made it difficult to retrieve her using ropes.

Fifty people were involved in the rescue.

Hariyadi said Marins, who was initially located on Saturday, had slipped further on the sandy terrain of the cliff face. She was at a depth of 150 metres when first discovered, but had slipped to 500 metres by Monday morning.

Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said in a statement that the Mount Rinjani hiking track would be closed to ease the evacuation effort and out of respect to Marins and her family.

Several tourists, including foreigners, have died in accidents while hiking the volcano over the past few years, according to local media reports, including a Malaysian tourist who also fell off a cliff last month.

Mount Rinjani is Indonesia’s second highest volcano with its peak at 3,726m above sea level.

Located in West Nusa Tenggara province on the island of Lombok, a short boat ride away from Bali, the active volcano is a popular tourist site in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

The oldest recorded historical eruption was in 1847, according to the website Rinjani National Park.

There was a spate of activity from 1994 to 1995 which resulted in the further growth of the crater cone Gunung Baru, since renamed Gunung Barujari.

On 27 April 2009 Gunung Barujari became active again with that activity continuing through to May 2009.

The volcano erupted three further times on 23 May 2010 with activity continuing until 24 May 2010.

According to the volcano’s official monitoring agency, ash from Mount Barujari was reported as rising up to 2km into the atmosphere and damaged crops.

Several tourists, including foreigners, have died in accidents while hiking the volcano in recent years, according to local media reports, including a Malaysian tourist who fell off a cliff last month.

Atleast 23 hikers lost their lives during a deadly eruption at Mount Marapi in December 2023. The incident at the time brought to light that officials had been allowing access to the volcano despite a years-long ban.

Indonesia’s national disaster agency had imposed restrictions in 2011, prohibiting people from venturing within 3km of the volcano’s peak due to signs of heightened volcanic activity. Mount Marapi is among the most active volcanoes in the country.

Despite the ban, around 75 hikers and tourists were on the mountain when it erupted on 3 December 2023, hurling molten rocks and clouds of ash, resulting in one of the deadliest volcanic tragedies in the region in recent years.

Delays in reaching Marins, who has been found dead, were explained by adverse weather.

Muhammad Hariyadi, head of Lombok’s Mataram Search and Rescue Office, said rescue efforts were hampered by the steep terrain and foggy weather.

“One group is monitoring the evacuation using a thermal drone. The second team is doing the manual evacuation process with a rope as the main tool,” Mr Hariyadi told AFP.

“This morning around 50 rescuers have been dispatched, and we plan to send a helicopter team to scour the location.”

According to the local guide helping a group of international tourists, Juliana Marins slipped at a narrow section of the trail and lost her balance before plummeting into the ravine, reported Jakarta Globe.

“Juliana was initially visible from the cliff after the fall, but we lost visual contact once the fog rolled in,” said Gede A Mastika, Head of Search and Rescue (SAR).

Head of local rescuers Muhammad Hariyadi later said that Juliana Marins fell off a cliff on the mountain but not into the volcano crater, while noting that the soft sand in the area made it difficult to retrieve her using ropes.

Fifty people were involved in the rescue.

Hariyadi said Marins, who was initially located on Saturday, had slipped further on the sandy terrain of the cliff face. She was at a depth of 150 metres when first discovered, but had slipped to 500 metres by Monday morning.

Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said in a statement that the Mount Rinjani hiking track would be closed to ease the evacuation effort and out of respect to Marins and her family.

Several tourists, including foreigners, have died in accidents while hiking the volcano over the past few years, according to local media reports, including a Malaysian tourist who also fell off a cliff last month.

Brazil’s government has confirmed that the tourist who was stranded on a volcanic cliff in Indonesia has been found dead after four days.

Juliana Marins, 27, was hiking with five friends on Mount Rinjani on Saturday when she slipped and fell off a cliff on the side of the 3,726-meter (12,224 feet) mountain, according to Indonesian authorities.

Located in West Nusa Tenggara province, the active volcano is a popular tourist site in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

“After four days of work, hindered by adverse weather, terrain and visibility conditions in the region, teams from Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency found the body of the Brazilian tourist,” Brazil’s government said in a statement.

Indonesian authorities have deployed three helicopters to try and rescue Juliana Marins as the search enters a critical stage, confirmed West Nusa Tenggara governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal.

“One helicopter from the Indonesian Armed Forces and national search and rescue agency (Basarnas) is expected to arrive at Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport (BIZAM) around 2pm local time today,” Mr Iqbal said in a message to reporters in Mataram.

“All possible efforts will be made for a swift and safe evacuation,” he said.

Juliana Marins’ family is urgently appealing for additional support, expressing frustration with the pace of her rescue.

“Juliana has been missing for over 2 days on Mount Rinjani, in Lombok, Indonesia. She needs URGENT rescue! Her life is depending on that!” read a family statement on Instagram.

On Monday, the family announced that two experienced local mountaineers equipped with specialised gear were en route to the site to aid in the effort.

Juliana Marins was hiking with a small group on Mount Rinjani when she reportedly asked to stop and rest. But the local hiking guide chose to continue on without her, claims Ms Marins’ sister, Marianna, in an interview with Brazilian TV station Fantástico.

When the guide returned, Ms Marins had fallen down a steep cliff into the volcano, she said.

“She didn’t know where to go,” Marianna said.

“She didn’t know what to do. When the guide came back because he saw that she was taking too long, he saw that she had fallen down there.”

Juliana Marins, 26, was hiking with a small group on Mount Rinjani on Saturday when she fell more than 1,600 feet from a trail overlooking Mount Rinjani’s crater lake over the weekend.