A young woman’s attempt at adventure ended in tragedy after she fell from Indonesia’s Mount Rinjani and was found dead four days later. Her story has sparked shock and grief across Brazil and questions about the safety measures on the popular but dangerous trail.

Juliana Marins, 26, was hiking near the crater of the active volcano on 21 June 2025, when she slipped and fell from a ridge about 600 metres (approximately 1,968 feet) down the mountain. Her fall was sudden and severe, leaving her stranded in a remote part of the terrain that is notoriously slippery and difficult to navigate.

What Happened In Those Four Days?

Based on reports, it is believed that she initially survived the fall and was seen moving around in drone footage captured by fellow hikers. Witnesses reported she was distressed but appeared to be alive after the fall, sitting in grey soil below the trail. Rescue teams heard her screams for help on the day of the accident but were unable to reach her immediately due to thick fog and treacherous weather conditions.

Over the following days, efforts to locate her were hampered repeatedly. Rescuers descended multiple times, with drone footage confirming her presence in different locations, but the extreme terrain and poor weather slowed their progress. On 23 June, they managed to locate her body beside the crater after descending 600 metres into a ravine, a process that took nearly four days.

The Indonesian authorities confirmed her death on Tuesday, 25 June. A large rescue operation was required to retrieve her body, which was finally brought to a nearby base camp. The bad weather, including persistent fog and dangerous weather conditions, delayed the transport to a hospital for several hours. Roughly 50 people had been involved in the search

Family Response and Announcement

Her family in Brazil expressed their grief through a social media post on an Instagram account dedicated to her rescue, describing her as a lively and adventurous person who had been travelling through Asia.

Marins had been backpacking across Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia since February, with her last journey taking her to Lombok Island.

What We Know of Mount Rinjani

Mount Rinjani, standing at 3,726 metres (12,224 feet), is Indonesia’s second-highest volcano and attracts thousands of visitors each year. However, it has a history of fatalities, with recent deaths including a Malaysian tourist just last month. The mountain’s steep and unstable terrain often proves hazardous, especially for those unprepared for its challenging conditions.

Questions are now being raised over the safety protocols on the trail, particularly regarding the decision not to close the route after her fall. Her family and many others are calling for better safety measures to prevent similar tragedies. The Indonesian government has yet to comment on whether new restrictions or safety improvements are planned following her death.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has described her passing as a tragedy, and the country’s embassy in Jakarta coordinated closely with Indonesian authorities during the rescue effort. The delay in her recovery has caused anger and frustration, with some in Brazil accusing Indonesian officials of misinformation regarding her status during the rescue. Indonesia has yet to respond to these claims.

In this undated photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, rescuers prepare for the evacuation operation for Juliana Marins, a Brazilian tourist who fell off the ridge of Mount Rinjani while hiking near the volcano’s summit, in Lombok, Indonesia. Photo via AP

Juliana Marins, 27, was hiking with five friends on Mount Rinjani on Saturday when she slipped and fell off a cliff on the side of the 3,726 m mountain, according to Indonesian authorities.

Located in West Nusa Tenggara province, the active volcano is a popular tourist site in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

“After four days of work, hindered by adverse weather, terrain and visibility conditions in the region, teams from Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency found the body of the Brazilian tourist,” Brazil’s government said in a statement.

Head of local rescuers Muhammad Hariyadi had told Reuters earlier in the day that Marins fell off a cliff on the mountain but not into the volcano crater, while noting that the soft sand in the area made it difficult to retrieve her using ropes.

Fifty people were involved in the rescue.

The search for Marins drew intense attention in Brazil, where millions followed updates and offered prayers as rescue teams battled harsh conditions to locate her.

A 26-year-old Brazilian woman who fell from a cliff while hiking an Indonesian volcano was found dead Tuesday, following a four-day search hampered by dangerous weather and terrain, according to statements from Brazilian and Indonesian authorities.

Juliana Marins was trekking Mount Rinjani, an active 12,224-foot volcano on the island of Lombok, with a guide and five other foreigners on Saturday when she slipped and plunged down a steep cliff, Indonesian officials said. The volcano, located in West Nusa Tenggara province, is a popular destination for international hikers and tourists.

“After four days of work, hindered by adverse weather, terrain, and visibility conditions in the region, teams from Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency found the body of the Brazilian tourist,” Brazil’s government said.

Head of local rescuers Muhammad Hariyadi said that Marins fell off a cliff on the mountain, but not into the volcano crater, while noting that the soft sand in the area made it difficult to retrieve her using ropes.

Fifty people participated in the operation, which used a thermal drone to eventually spot Marins’ body, Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency. Syafii explained that Marins was initially located at a depth of 150 meters on Saturday, but shifting sand caused her to slip further down the cliff face, reaching 500 meters by Monday morning.

The team began carrying her body toward Sembalun basecamp, but transport to a police hospital was delayed until Wednesday due to the difficult evacuation route and poor visibility. Rescue Turns to Recovery Marins’ ordeal riveted her home country, Brazil, with millions following the dramatic search-and-rescue efforts since news broke of her fall.

Authorities did not say when exactly she died.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry called Marins’ death a tragedy and said its embassy in Jakarta had worked closely with Indonesian authorities throughout the rescue efforts.

Marins’ family confirmed her death and, in an Instagram post, thanked Brazilians for their prayers and support during the ordeal.

The incident also sparked controversy after Brazil’s embassy in Jakarta accused Indonesian officials of providing false information to Marins’ family, claiming she had been located and given food and water hours after her fall.

Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the Mount Rinjani hiking track was closed to facilitate the evacuation and as a mark of respect to Marins and her family.

Marins, a dancer from Niteroi near Rio de Janeiro, had been travelling across Asia since February, visiting the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand before arriving in Indonesia, her family said.

Local media reports note that several tourists, including a Malaysian hiker last month, have died in similar accidents on the volcano in recent years.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

AP In this undated photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, a rescuer climbs down the ridge of Mount Rinjani during the evacuation operation for Juliana Marins, a Brazilian tourist who fell while hiking near the volcano’s summit, in Lombok, Indonesia.

SAO PAULO — A young Brazilian hiker who fell hundreds of meters from the ridge of a towering Indonesian volcano and was trapped there for almost four days was found dead on Tuesday, Brazil’s government said. For days, millions of people in Brazil had watched, posted and prayed as rescuers tried to locate her.

The tourist, 26-year-old Juliana Marins, began summiting on June 21 Mount Rinjani, an active 12,224-foot volcano on the Indonesian island of Lombok, with a guide and five other foreigners when she fell some 1,968 feet, Indonesian authorities said.

“No signs of life were found,” said Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.

Marins’ family in Brazil confirmed her death.

The Indonesian rescue team said it found Marins’ body beside a crater using a thermal drone after four days of intensive searches complicated by extremely harsh terrain and weather.

The difficult conditions and limited visibility delayed the evacuation process, Syafii said, as the rescue team climbed carrying Marins’ body to Sembalun basecamp but would have to wait until Wednesday for transport to a police hospital.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry called her death a tragedy and said that the country’s embassy in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, had coordinated the rescue with local authorities.

Marins’ ordeal has riveted her home country, Brazil, with millions following the dramatic search-and-rescue efforts since news broke of her fall.

Authorities did not say when exactly she died.

Adding to the frenzy in Brazil over her ordeal, Brazil’s embassy in Jakarta had accused the Indonesian government of fabricating Marins’ rescue and misinforming her family that she had been located and given food and water just hours after her fall.

There was no immediate response from the Indonesian government on that claim.

Indonesia’s island of Lombok lies east of Jakarta and neighbors the island of Bali. Mount Rinjani, the country’s second-tallest peak, is a popular destination for trekkers.

In an Instagram post, Marins’ family thanked the many Brazilians who had prayed for their daughter’s safety.

Marins, a dancer who lived in Niteroi, outside Rio de Janeiro, had been traveling across Asia since February, her family said. She had visited the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand before reaching Indonesia.

A Brazilian tourist has been found dead on an Indonesian volcano after a dramatic four-day search amid claims her guide left her behind.

Juliana Marins, in her mid-20s, was hiking with a group on the active Mount Rinjani volcano on June 21, when she reportedly slipped and fell from a steep section of the mountain, according to Indonesian authorities.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Drone shows cliff where Juliana Marins was found

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Marins survived the initial fall.

Rescuers reported hearing her screams for help on Saturday.

Drone footage also appears to show her distressed but alive and moving on Saturday.

She could be seen sitting and moving around in grey soil, far below a hiking path.

Indonesian authorities said Marin fell from a cliffside but did not fall into the crater.

The area is particularly difficult due to loose volcanic sand, the head of the local search agency Barsanas, Muhammad Hariyadi, told Reuters.

“The soft sand made it difficult to retrieve her using ropes,” he said, adding the unstable footing in the area severely delayed access to the Juliana.

More than 50 people were involved in the rescue.

In a final post, Juliana Marins wrote that she had “never felt so alive” during her solo journey. Credit: Instagram

Rescue teams first heard her cries and spotted her alive via drone, but rough terrain and bad weather delayed rescue efforts.

“After four days of work, hindered by adverse weather, terrain and visibility conditions in the region, teams from Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency found the body of the Brazilian tourist,” the Brazilian government said in an official statement.

“Today, the rescue team managed to reach the place where Juliana Marins was,” Marins’ family posted on social media.

“With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive.”

Located on the island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province, the 3726-metre active volcano is a popular destination for international trekkers.

According to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Juliana became separated from her group during the hike and fell in a remote section of the trail near Cemara Nunggal.

This stretch is known for its instability and lies between 2600 and 3000 meters above sea level on the climb toward the summit.

The Brazilian tourist fell off the ridge of Mount Rinjani while hiking near the volcano’s summit, in Lombok, Indonesia. Credit: Barsanas

Drone footage shows the remote cliff face on Mount Rinjani where Juliana Marins fell. Credit: X

According to her guide, 20-year-old Ali Musthofa, Juliana had asked to pause briefly due to fatigue, O Globo reported.

He claims he walked ahead “three minutes” before realising she wasn’t following.

Musthofa, who has been leading treks since November 2023, denies any negligence.

“I did not abandon Juliana,” he told local press.

“I went ahead to wait, just a few minutes.

“When she didn’t arrive, I looked back and then I saw her light down in the darkness.”

Authorities say the area is known for loose rock, sharp drops and limited access. Credit: Google Maps

Her body was located by one of the search teams after descending more than 150 metres into a rugged ravine.

Authorities have not yet confirmed her exact cause of death.

Her family is now working to bring her body home to Brazil.

The latest incident has renewed scrutiny on volcano safety across Indonesia.

Mount Rinjani has recorded several tourist deaths in recent years.

In May, a Malaysian hiker died after falling from a cliff and in December 2023, 23 people were killed when Mount Marapi erupted.

Juliana had been travelling since February, visiting countries including Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Credit: Instagram

– With Reuters