16 hours ago
Tragic update on woman who fell into active volcano
Brazilian tourist Juliana Marins has died after slipping and falling into a ravine while hiking at Indonesia's Mount Rinjani – the second highest volcano in the country.
According to Marins' family, who released a short statement on social media, Indonesian rescuers were able to reach the 26-year-old on Tuesday afternoon – although they were too late to save the young woman.
'Today, the rescue team managed to reach the place where Juliana Marins was,' the family said in a statement.
'With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive.'
'We remain very grateful for all the prayers, messages of affection and support that we have received.'
Marins had fallen in the early hours of Saturday morning, and there had been fears for her survival as rescuers battled to save her within a tight window of 72 hours – after which survival rates dramatically decline if victims are exposed to the elements and without food or water.
Alfi Zakki, a staffer working on advocacy and campaigns at the Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI) in West Nusa Tenggara Province where Rinjani is located, said the authorities had suspected Marins' had succumbed to her injuries or the freezing temperatures on the mountainside.
'They had been able to locate her position using a drone. She had stopped moving but, because they hadn't yet been able to get to her, they couldn't be sure [that she had died],' he said.
Zakki said he had hiked Rinjani many times and had assisted in the rescue of other foreign hikers who had gotten into trouble on the mountain.
'My understanding is that she fell and had become stuck some 500 metres down a ravine but, because of the extreme weather, they were not able to get to her. She had been able to move at first, but had then moved out of sight before being located using a drone when she was again seen alive.'
It is thought that Marins had first tried to climb out of the ravine, although her movements had actually caused her to slip even further down its steep slopes.
Zakki however said the footage of Marins moving around had given rescue teams hope that she could be extracted from the mountain safely.
The Indonesian authorities had been quick to respond, sending three helicopters and rescuers from the army and Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency.
Rescuers had attempted both a vertical rescue, with teams repelling into the ravine to try and reach Marins, as well as an air rescue by helicopter.
However, Zakki said the fluctuating weather and heavy fog had made either a vertical rescue or helicopter rescue impossibly challenging.
Due to its elevation, the temperatures at Rinjani can drop to close to freezing at night, with heavy rain, fog and storms rolling through the area without warning.
'A vertical rescue on Rinjani is not easy because the terrain is so steep and she was so far down,' Zakki explained.
'She fell near the summit which is located at around 3,726 metres, but we do not know why -was it because she was tired and couldn't focus on the path? It is extremely sheer on both sides.'
According to Zakki, treks to Rinjani usually take four days and three nights, and it takes around two days to reach the summit with rest stops along the way.
Trekkers usually make their way to the summit on the second day of trekking, leaving camp at 1am in order to watch the sunrise at the summit at around 6am.
There are four rest stops along the way, from the base of Rinjani to the summit, and Marins was believed to have been close to the fourth and final rest area when she fell.
'By the time you get to the third and fourth posts, the terrain is extremely narrow and steep, and made up of sand and loose rocks. It is not recommended that you attempt to hike Rinjani if you are not physically fit and have some experience of mountain climbing or trekking,' Zakki said.
'You shouldn't hike Rinjani recklessly, because it requires a huge amount of focus as many of the paths get progressively more challenging with sheer drops all around you.'
In 2018, an earthquake hit the area around Rinjani, triggering landslides which destroyed the terrain close to the volcano's summit and made the hiking trails even narrower and steeper.
'Rinjani is a volcano that so many people want to visit, but behind its beauty there is always danger,' Zakki said.
