Rescue teams race to save 26‑year‑old Brazilian hiker trapped inside active volcano

A 26-year-old Brazilian woman named Juliana Marins has been trapped inside an active volcano in Indonesia for three days after falling into a crater while hiking. According to People magazine, which reported on the ongoing rescue efforts, Marins fell off a cliff around Cemara Nunggal while trying to reach the peak of Mount Rinjani on Saturday, June 21, at around 6:30 in the morning local time.

The incident occurred on the Indonesian island of Lombok, where Mount Rinjani stands as the country's second-tallest volcano at over 3,700 meters high, according to the news release from Gunung Rinjani National Park. Rescue teams have been working around the clock to save the tourist, but dangerous conditions have severely hampered their efforts. People magazine noted that search and rescue teams successfully located Marins using drone technology, finding her stuck on a rock cliff at a depth of 500 meters and appearing motionless from above.

Two rescue workers were sent down to reach her location and check anchor points at 350 meters, but they discovered two large rock overhangs blocking their path to the victim, making it impossible to install proper rescue equipment and forcing the team to attempt climbing down instead.

NDTV's coverage reveals that Marins was hiking with a group when she disappeared on Saturday evening, having fallen from what Brazilian officials described as a cliff surrounding the trail next to the volcano's crater. The news outlet reported that rescuers heard her screaming for help on Saturday, confirming she was alive but appeared to be in shock at that time. According to TV Brazil EBC, earlier drone footage showed her sitting and moving around in gray soil far below the hiking path, providing hope for her survival.

However, when rescuers descended 300 meters to her believed location later that day, they could not find her and received no response when they called out to her. According to NDTV, by Sunday morning, drone footage revealed that Marins was no longer at her original location, with thick fog hampering rescue operations and affecting the use of thermal drone technology.

The situation became more complicated when rescuers located her again on Monday, discovering she had fallen even further down, but were forced to retreat due to poor climate conditions. The family expressed frustration that rescuers had advanced only 250 meters down with 350 meters still remaining to reach Juliana before being forced to withdraw from the dangerous rescue attempt.

The BBC's reporting highlights the challenging conditions that have made this rescue operation particularly difficult, with extreme terrain and foggy weather creating significant obstacles for the rescue teams. 

Indonesian forestry ministry official Satyawan Pudyatmoko told the BBC that the climbing route remained open because officials determined closing it would not disrupt the evacuation process, though climbers were warned to avoid the rescue site. The family has criticized this decision, claiming tourists continue hiking the same dangerous route while Marins remains trapped without water, food, or warm clothing for three days, with her health condition unknown to worried relatives.