26-year-old Juliana Marins from Brazil fell into a ravine several hundred meters deep while climbing Mount Rinjani (Lombok). She was ascending with a group of five tourists led by a guide.
According to the participants, the route was challenging: steep rocky sections and loose sand made footing difficult, and dense fog severely limited visibility. The woman complained of fatigue and asked to stop. However, due to the tight schedule and worsening weather, the group continued.
The fall was reported to the National Park on June 21, and rescuers from Basarnas, the military, police, and volunteers joined the search. Calls for help from the injured were heard immediately. A Spanish tourist spotted Juliana with a drone about 300 meters below the path; she was still alive. On the morning of June 23, a rescue drone's thermal imager again detected movement at a depth of about 500 meters, but by dawn on June 24, the woman showed no signs of life; according to the operation leader Muhammad Hariadi, she had slipped further down a steep sandy slope.
On the evening of June 24, four rescuers managed to reach the body and prepared it for lifting. Due to rain and gusty winds, the rope system had to be assembled in stages; the remains are planned to be brought to Sembalun base camp and flown to Bhayangkara Hospital (Mataram) at the first weather opportunity. The Rinjani trail remains closed until the end of the evacuation.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Widianti Putri Wardana expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and instructed to enhance the supervision of guides on difficult routes: "Tourist safety is a priority; guides' training standards will be reviewed."
Juliana's relatives criticized the park for leaving the trail open during the operation and stated that delays in the first two days cost the woman her life. The Indonesian side insists that fog and the collapsing slope hindered the work.
This is the second fatality on Rinjani in recent years. Those planning to conquer Indonesia's second highest volcano (3,726 m) should assess their endurance in advance — the ascent involves loose sand, overnight stays at high altitudes require warm gear, and in the rainy season, fog and wet slopes quickly turn the route into a serious challenge, so it's crucial to discuss the plan, weather, and backup options with a guide beforehand.
The incident sparked online responses: thousands of comments appeared under President Prabowo Subianto's accounts with the hashtag #savejuliana, with users criticizing the rescuers' slowness and reminding that the woman spent over 60 hours on the slope without food and warm clothing.
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