Dutch climber rescued from Indonesia's Mount Rinjani, a day after Swiss hiker fell near same spot

Straits Times

5 days ago

Experts and observers have urged the authorities to re-evaluate the hiking routes on Mount Rinjani.
JAKARTA - Two foreign tourists have fallen into a ravine on Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, in the past two days, casting fresh doubt on the government's commitment to improving safety on the mountain after the recent death of a Brazilian hiker that drew international scrutiny.
Dutch climber Sarah Tamar van Hulten fell into a ravine on Mount Rinjani at approximately 2pm local time on July 17 near Segara Anak Lake, about 1km below the summit.
Head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Agency, Mr Muhamad Hariyadi, said the agency immediately deployed a rescue team to the scene and dispatched a helicopter to assist in the operation.
'A helicopter was deployed from nearby Bali Island at 3.45pm. We are doing our best to evacuate the victim safely and will keep the public updated on the progress of the operation,' he said in a statement on July 17.
According to the authorities, Ms van Hulten fell near the same location where another climber, 45-year-old Swiss national Benedikt Emmenegger, fell into a ravine just a day earlier.
Mr Emmenegger had started his ascent of the 3,727m peak on July 15, accompanied by four fellow hikers, a porter and a local guide.
The circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but Mr Noer Isrodin Muchlisin, director of preparedness at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), said that Mr Emmenegger sustained broken legs and arms, as well as severe facial bruising from the fall.
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'A Spanish doctor from another climbing group examined Mr Emmenegger after the accident and advised that he be airlifted from the mountain. He feared the victim suffered from serious internal bleeding that could worsen if he were carried down the mountain on a stretcher,' Mr Noer said on July 16, as quoted by Kompas.com
Basarnas dispatched a Bali Air helicopter from nearby Bali Island hours after Mr Emmenegger's accident and successfully evacuated him at approximately 4.30pm on July 16. He was immediately transported to the Bali International Medical Center in Kuta, Badung Regency, for emergency treatment.
Head of the Mount Rinjani National Park, Mr Yarman, said the helicopter evacuation was possible because Mr Emmenegger had fallen in a relatively flat area of the mountain.
'There's a flat savanna near the accident site, and the weather conditions were also quite favorable,' he said on July 16.
Mr Emmenegger and Ms van Hulten are the third and fourth foreign tourists to suffer serious accidents on Mount Rinjani in June, raising growing concerns about safety on Indonesia's second-highest volcano.
The authorities had previously pledged to improve safety measures and overhaul rescue protocols on the popular hiking site following
the tragic death of
Ms
Juliana De Souza Pereira Marins, a 27-year-old Brazilian hiker who fell into a 600m-deep ravine last month.
Ms Marins fell at Cemara Nunggal, a narrow, treacherous section near the summit, on June 21. However, rescue efforts were severely hampered by poor weather and difficult terrain. Rescuers were able to reach her only on the night of June 24, when they found that she had already died.
Ms Marins' family has expressed frustration over what they described as slow and inadequate evacuation efforts by Indonesian authorities, especially given that it was widely believed at the time that she had survived the fall.
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.
An autopsy by Indonesian forensic experts determined that Ms Marins died roughly 20 minutes after falling into the ravine. However, a subsequent autopsy conducted in Brazil revealed that she likely survived for at least 32 hours before falling further down the ravine, where she ultimately died.
Amid mounting controversy over Ms Marins' rescue operation, experts and observers have urged the authorities to re-evaluate the hiking routes on Mount Rinjani, install permanent safety ropes and add more warning signs to prevent further accidents.
West Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor Indah Dhamayanti Putri said on June 26 that 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,' the governor said.
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana has also called for stricter enforcement of safety procedures on extreme hiking trails, particularly on Mount Rinjani.
'These incidents remind us that every extreme tourism destination carries serious risks,' Ms Widiyanti said in a press statement on July 28.
She urged all tourism service providers to ensure that their guides and porters are properly certified and trained, to strengthen coordination with local authorities and to step up public awareness campaigns, particularly for foreign tourists, on the importance of following safety protocols.
There were 273 climbing accidents recorded in Mount Rinjani National Park between 2016 and 2024, which resulted in 17 deaths and over 200 injuries. Foreign tourists accounted for at least 44 of those incidents.
In May, a 57-year-old Malaysian hiker, Mr Rennie bin Abdul Ghani, died after falling from a cliff on Mount Rinjani. In October 2024, 16-year-old Kaifat Rafi Mubarok from Jakarta was also found dead after a fatal fall from a cliff on the mountain. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK