Indonesia's Mount Rinjani rescue protocols under review after Brazilian tourist's death

Straits Times

29-06-2025

JAKARTA - The House of Representatives and the West Nusa Tenggara administration have announced plans to review hiking procedures and search-and-rescue protocols on Mount Rinjani, following the failed attempt to rescue a Brazilian tourist who fell while climbing the volcano.
House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said lawmakers would soon hold a hearing with relevant agencies to evaluate the incident, which has drawn international attention and sparked a strong online backlash in Brazil.
'We have instructed lawmakers from the relevant commission to visit Mount Rinjani and provide recommendations to the government regarding the accident,' Mr Dasco said on June 26, as quoted by Kompas.com.
However, he did not provide details on the timeline of the hearing or specify which commission would lead the process.
Similarly, West Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor Indah Dhamayanti Putri said the provincial government would review regulations related to hiking procedures and permit requirements on Mount Rinjani for both domestic and international visitors.
'We will work on improving the regulations, we do not want incidents like this to happen again in the future. The West Nusa Tenggara administration is committed to providing a safe and comfortable experience for tourists,' Ms Indah said on June 26.
Ms Juliana De Souza Pereira Marins fell into a ravine on Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on June 21. The 27-year-old was found dead on June 24 after days of grueling evacuation efforts, which were hampered by bad weather and challenging terrain.
Ms Marins began her climb of Mount Rinjani, Indonesia's second-highest volcano, on June 20, accompanied by several other climbers and a local guide.
At around 6am the following day, she asked to rest at Cemara Nunggal, a narrow section of trail near the summit, bordered by the Mount Rinjani crater on one side and steep cliffs on the other.
However, because of limited time and uncertain weather conditions, her fellow climbers and the guide decided to leave her behind and continue their ascent to the mountain summit.
When they returned from the summit, the group was unable to locate Ms Marins. They only spotted a flashlight shining from inside the ravine, which they suspected was her headlamp.
They immediately reported the incident to the authorities, who launched a rescue operation. Around 50 personnel, including members of the search and rescue agency, police, military and local volunteers, were deployed to the site to rescue Ms Marins.
Ms Marins was believed to have survived the fall. Rescuers reported hearing her cries for help, and drone footage taken on the evening of June 21 showed her sitting upright partway down a 200m-deep ravine.
However, efforts to reach her were severely hindered by poor weather and treacherous terrain. Rescuers were only able to reach her on the night of June 24, by which time she was no longer showing any signs of life.
Shortly after the accident, Ms Marins' family created an Instagram account to raise awareness and rally support, which had gained more than 1.7 million followers as of June 27.
Through the account, the family voiced frustration over what they described as sluggish and inadequate evacuation efforts by Indonesian authorities.
Her family has claimed Ms Marins could have been saved if she was reached within hours rather than days, AFP reported.
'Juliana suffered severe neglect by the rescue team. Juliana would still be alive if the team had gotten to her within the estimated time of seven hours,' her family wrote late on June 25.
'Juliana deserved so much more! Now we are going after justice for her, because it's what she deserves.'
Their sentiments were widely echoed by Brazilian netizens, many of whom questioned the competence of the rescue teams and criticised what they saw as a lack of proper equipment to carry out the operation.
Some went as far as to claim that Ms Marins did not die from the fall itself, but as a result of the delayed rescue efforts.
Authorities are currently conducting an autopsy to determine the cause and time of Ms Marins' death, at the request of her family.
National Search and Rescue Agency head Air Vice Marshal Mohammad Syafi'i expressed his condolences over Ms Marins' passing and denied claims that rescuers responded slowly to the accident.
'I assure you that we responded very quickly, and rescuers were deployed to the site immediately. Throughout the operation, we adhered to standard evacuation procedures while prioritising the safety of our personnel,' he said on June 24.
'However, the victim's location was extremely difficult to reach. She was trapped in a steep ravine at an altitude of 9,000 feet (2.74km).
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