The Brazilian tourist who fell for a cliff in a volcano in Indonesia

On Saturday, around 06:30 local time, Juliana was hiking for the second highest volcano in Indonesia with five friends and a guide, when, according to the authorities, she fell from “a cliff that surrounds the path next to the volcano crater.”

The images taken by drones and other videos filmed by hikers who have circulated online and have been disseminated by Brazilian media seem to show it anguished, but live on Saturday. She looked sitting and moving, well below the path from which she fell

However, the rescue teams could not find her when 300 meters descended to the place where they believed she was, and she didn't answer her either.

On Sunday morning, images taken by drones showed that it was no longer in the same place, according to the park authorities, which added that the thick fog had hindered rescue and complicated work to the use of a thermal drone.

On Monday, rescue teams were able to locate Marins again, which seemed to have fallen even more, but they had to interrupt the work due to the “climatic conditions”, according to the family.

The search resumed on Tuesday and rescuers finally reached their body after descending 600 meters through a ravine, according to the Indonesian search and rescue agency in a statement.

The operations had 48 professionals from various forces and were accompanied by representatives of the Indonesian government and the Brazilian embassy.

Juliana was described by her friends as an inveterate traveler, who had been exploring Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. According to local and family press reports, it was abandoned by the Ali Musthofa guide after manifesting tiredness.

However, in an interview with the newspaper O Globo, Musthofa denied having abandoned the young Brazilian before the accident.

He said he suggested to rest while he went ahead, as the local press had already reported.

According to him, they had agreed to meet a little later on the path.

The guide was interrogated by the police on Sunday, after getting out of the mountain.

The relatives of the young Brazilian criticized the fact that the park remained open, allowing the circulation of tourists along the same route, while Juliana was still waiting to be rescued.

“While Juliana needs help! We don't know what your state of health is! It takes three days without water, food or coat!” They said on Instagram.

After the finding of the Marins's body, the authorities of the province of Nusa Tengara Barat announced the temporary closure of the path that leads to the top of Mount Rinjani.

The statement states that the decision was made to accelerate the evacuation of the victim of the accident and guarantee the safety of visitors and rescue teams.

BBC News has contacted Juliana's family and the administration of Monte Rinjani Park to collect her comments.

In a statement, the Brazilian government sent its condolences to the family and friends of Juliana Marins.

“After four days of work, hindered by the weather, soil and adverse visibility conditions in the region, teams of the search and rescue agency of Indonesia found the body of the Brazilian tourist,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Ministry added that “the Brazilian embassy in Yakarta mobilized local authorities at the highest level for the rescue task and had been accompanying the search work since Friday night (Brazil time), when he was informed of the fall in Mount Rinjani.”

Several users in social networks expressed their outrage at the performance of the Indonesian government, who described as late and negligent.

The influencer Felipe Neto commented: “Very sad (and also outrageous) everything that happened in the case that has cost Juliana Marins's life.”

For her part, actress Tatá Werneck described “absurd negligence” that a route considered dangerous is allowed to use, where “it is impossible to carry out a rescue.”

“Impossible not to be outraged with what the Indonesian government did with Juliana Marins. Almost three days without water, without food. They tried the life of the Brazilian with a contempt that would never occur in Brazil,” an X user published.

Others said the tragedy leaves them with a feeling of helplessness. “The lack of immediate mobilization of the Indonesian government to start the rescue was one of the main aggravating ones. Juliana was alive. He was less than 400 meters away,” said another publication on the social network.

Mount Rinjani, with more than 3,700 meters high, is the second highest volcano in Indonesia and one of the most popular destinations among adventure tourists.

In 2022, a Portuguese died when he fell down a cliff at the top of the volcano. In May of this year, a bad guy also died after falling during the climb.

In an interview with TV Globo, two members of the Juliana group reported that the route was difficult.

One of them described the climb as “very hard” and said that “it was very cold.”

Another said that at the time of the accident, Juliana was behind the group, accompanied by the guide.

“It was very early, before dawn, with bad visibility, only with a simple flashlight to illuminate the road, which was difficult and slippery,” he said.

In total, in the last five years there have been at least five other deaths in the region.

According to the local mountain community, Rinjani is not recommended for beginners and is more suitable for experienced hikers.

The trails are narrow and rocky, with steep ravines and sections of loose earth that make the climb especially slippery and dangerous.

“The mountaineers usually start the ascension around 2 am to try to see the dawn from the top, normally with flashlights that offer little visibility,” explains Astudestra Ajangrastri, Indonesia and attached editor of the Asia Digital Hub Production of the BBC.

“They are usually accompanied by guides, but the combination of darkness, unstable terrain and unpredictable climate considerably increases the risk. Being located in a remote region and without access to motorized transport, all rescue work depends on equipment that moves on foot.”

Ajangrastri points out that, in times of bad weather, strong winds can quickly become storms, and rain makes the trails even more dangerous.

“Often, a dense fog covers the mountain, hiding the cliffs and drastically reducing visibility, which is an additional challenge for both climbers and rescue equipment,” says Alangrastri.

“The mountain remained closed between January and March of this year, during the rainy season in Indonesia, and only reopened after it was considered safe.”

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