Gunung Rinjani standing at 3726m is a volcano found on the island of Lombok in Indonesia, just east of Bali. What makes it so special? It’s a complex geographical feature comprising a huge caldera enclosing a crater lake and a much smaller smoking volcanic cone. The scenery is spectacular and it’s arguably the most beautiful mountain in Indonesia.

On Saturday 21 June 2025, Brazilian tourist Ms Juliana Marins, 27, was hiking with five friends on Gunung Rinjani when she slipped and fell off the narrow summit ridge of the mountain. She stood too close to the crumbling edge of the outer crater and the ground gave way beneath her feet. Drone footage and images captured by hikers on the day she lost her footing appear to show her alive and moving voluntarily. She was seen sitting and moving around in a slide of loose volcanic sand some 200m below the summit trail. By Sunday morning, drone footage confirmed that she was no longer in the same place. Then, thick clouds and strong winds rolled in and hampered the search.

On Monday, day 3 of the accident, rescuers were finally able to locate Juliana Marins again. However, she appeared to have had fallen even further down, some 600m below the summit trail. Before they could do anything more, the clouds and wind rolled in again. The search resumed on Tuesday. Rescuers made a valiant descent of 600m down a wall of sliding volcanic sand. They discovered her body but were unable to haul it up. The tiny window of favourable weather opened again the next morning. Juliana Marins’ body was finally hauled up to the crater rim.

It was still a long way to descend to base camp and her body arrived there on Thursday. Not surprisingly, her family was angry and claimed that Ms Juliana Marins could have been saved if she was reached within hours rather than days. The family is now considering legal action against the guide and the government for the incompetence of the rescue effort. While many Indonesian influencers tried to defend the rescue team, many independent observers have also questioned the rescue protocols on Gunung Rinjani.