A massive rescue operation has been launched to save a 26-year-old Brazilian tourist who has been trapped in an active volcano for three days.
In the early hours of the morning on June 21, Juliana Marins fell off a cliff near Cemara Nunggal while heading towards the summit of Mount Rinjani in Indonesia. The volcano, which last erupted in September 2016, is currently active.
Juliana was reportedly on a hike with a guide when the accident happened. She allegedly requested a break, but the guide continued on with the group without her.
Upon returning, the guide discovered that Juliana had fallen down the cliff.
“She didn’t know what to do. When the guide came back because he saw that she was taking too long, he saw that she had fallen down there,” said her sister Marianna.
Other hikers have described the climb as extremely challenging.
One man told Brazilian TV network Globo, “It was really early, before sunrise, in bad visibility conditions with just a simple lantern to light up the terrain which was difficult and slippery.”
As of June 23, search and rescue efforts were ongoing to save Juliana, a publicist from Niterói.
In a Facebook statement, Gunung Rinjani National Park reported that the woman had been “successfully monitored using a drone, in a position stuck on a rock cliff at a depth of 500 meters and visually motionless.”
The statement further explained, “Two rescue personnel were deployed to reach the victim’s location and check the second anchor point at a depth of 350m (1,140 ft). However, after observation, two large overhangs were found before reaching the victim, making it impossible to install the anchor. The rescue team had to climb to reach the victim.”
Unfortunately, the rescue had to be halted due to adverse weather conditions.
Juliana’s family and friends have been making desperate pleas on social media for her rescue.
In a video shared on an Instagram page dedicated to Juliana’s rescue, a loved one stated, “Juliana has been missing for over 2 days on Mount Rinjani, in Lombok, Indonesia. She needs URGENT rescue! Her life is depending on that!”
Her family said that the rescue team was just 350 meters away from her when they had to abandon the latest rescue attempt.
“A whole day and they advanced only 250 meters below, there were 350 meters left to reach Juliana, and they retreated,” they explained in a statement.
“We need help, we need the rescue to reach Juliana urgently!”