(Update: Juliana's body was retrieved from the site on June 24)
A rescue team is searching for a 26-year-old Brazilian woman who slipped and fell while hiking in Indonesia with a group of tourists in the early hours of Saturday (June 21).
Juliana Marins fell while hiking on Mount Rinjani, one of Indonesia's best-known tourist attractions but also one of its most dangerous due to its steep trails and unpredictable weather.
Highlights
- Juliana Marins, a 26-year-old publicist from Brazil, slipped and fell while hiking on Mount Rinjani in Indonesia.
- The accident occurred on Saturday (June 21); rescuers continue to search for the missing woman.
- Juliana’s family claims she was “abandoned” by her group after feeling tired on the second day of the hike.
In a social media post, Juliana's sister, Mariana, said the 26-year-old publicist had gone hiking with a group of five people and a local guide.
On the second day of the trail, Juliana said she was too tired to continue and was allegedly left behind by the group.
The search continues for Juliana Marins, a 26-year-old woman who slipped and fell while hiking on Indonesia's Mount Rinjani
Image credits: Marius Karp / stock.adobe (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ajulianamarins / Instagram
"The guide only continued on his journey to reach the summit. We only have this information from local media. Juliana was desperate because no one came back for her, and she fell. They abandoned Juliana," wrote Mariana.
According to Brazilian media outlet G1, the hiker fell about 300 m (approx. 980 ft) below the original trail. Around three hours later, she was located by a group of tourists passing by the site. The tourists used a drone and shared videos of Juliana in online groups, which eventually reached her family in Brazil.
Juliana was "abandoned" by her guide after feeling tired during the second day of the hike, her family said
Image credits: ajulianamarins / Instagram
On Sunday (June 22), Juliana's family received information released by Indonesian authorities and the Brazilian Embassy in Jakarta that the backpacker had received food, water, and clothing after the accident.
However, Mariana later denied these reports, telling Folha de S. Paulo, "We spoke to people at the scene of the incident with Juliana and what we received is that the information that the rescue team brought her water, food, and clothing, as reported by the Indonesian authorities and the Brazilian embassy in Jakarta, is not true.
"The information we have is that so far, they have not managed to reach Juliana, who has been missing for more than 36 hours."
Image credits: resgatejulianamarins / Instagram
Mariana also reported that videos released as being from the moment of the rescue were "forged."
"All the videos that were made are lies, including the one of the rescue team reaching her," she said, as per G1.
"The video was forged to look like that, along with this message associated with it."
Footage shared by tourists who passed by the site showed Juliana alone and trapped on the volcano
Image credits: g1 / YouTube
On Sunday, Juliana's family reported that the search had been temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions, including heavy fog that significantly reduced visibility.
Mariana confirmed the authenticity of the images captured by the tourists and believes her sister may have moved since then.
"She is still missing and our expectation is that in the next few hours this rescue will be resumed in an attempt to find Juliana," she stated.
"We would like an update with real information and we are worried about the race against time to save my sister."
Juliana's family has denied reports by the Indonesian authorities and the Brazilian Embassy in Jakarta that the young woman had been rescued
Image credits: oi.marin / Instagram
The family said that sending a helicopter is their last hope for rescue.
Her father, Manoel Marins, criticized the Brazilian Embassy in Indonesia for its alleged lack of support in efforts to save Juliana.
"We don't know where she is. The authorities haven't reached her. She hasn't received water, she hasn't received food," he told TV Globo.
"She's been alone for more than 36 hours, and it seems like they don't even know where she is now."
The publicist fell about 300 m (approx. 980 ft) below the original trail
Image credits: g1 / YouTube
Image credits: resgatejulianamarins / Instagram
Juliana was last seen around 5:30 pm (local time) on Saturday in footage taken by the tourists' drone.
"We would like an update with real information and we are worried about the race against time to save my sister," said Mariana Marins
Image credits: resgatejulianamarins / Instagram
The Rinjani volcano, a popular hiking destination for backpackers in the country, is located 4 hours away from the nearest urban center.
Born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Juliana has a degree in advertising from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and also works as a pole dancer.
She has been backpacking through Asia since February, having visited the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand before arriving in Indonesia.
The family shared on Sunday that the search operation had been temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions
Image credits: ajulianamarins / Instagram
Tourists who visited Mount Rinjani have shared warnings on TripAdvisor about the dangers of the hike. In one post from last September, a user wrote, "We left on an expedition that we knew was difficult, but not as dangerous!
"One person d*ed two days before our trek, we were not informed that 3/4 of the guides do not climb to the top because they do not have life insurance [...] so you are left to do the last part to the top.
"The winds were so strong that people were afraid to tip over, and the guides said they had never seen it in years."
Image credits: ajulianamarins / Instagram
Another user complained about an "incredible lack of communication in terms of order of proceedings" with their guides, who they said "jetted off ahead of us and we just had to assume where we were going."
Juliana has been backpacking through Asia since February
Image credits: ajulianamarins / Instagram
A third reviewer, who said they had previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, described the hike as "dangerously difficult," writing, "The guide told us that there was no emergency plan for if someone gets hurt up there and that many porters have d*ed up there. Like it was no big deal."
Netizens criticized the guide for leaving the hiker behind before the accident
