Brazilian tourist found dead days after she fell at popular volcano in Indonesia

A Brazilian tourist who fell down a ravine at an Indonesian volcano popular with hikers has been found dead, the Brazilian government and Indonesia’s rescue agency said Tuesday, after a days-long search and rescue effort.

Attempts to evacuate Juliana Marins, 26, who went missing on Saturday at Mount Rinjani on Lombok island, were hindered by challenging weather and terrain after authorities spotted her unmoving body with a drone.

“The Brazilian government informs, with deep sadness, the death of the Brazilian tourist Juliana Marins, who had fallen from a cliff surrounding the trail near the crater of Mount Rinjani,” the Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“At the end of four days of work, hindered by adverse weather, terrain, and visibility conditions in the region, teams from the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency found the body of the Brazilian tourist.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he received the news of Marins’ death “with great sadness.”

“Our diplomatic and consular services in Indonesia will continue to provide full support to her family at this time of great pain,” Lula said in a post on X.

Indonesian national search and rescue agency head Mohammad Syafii said rescuers found her unresponsive and would evacuate her body on Wednesday morning because of bad weather.

“One of the rescuers managed to reach the victim at the depth of 600 meters, upon checking there were no signs of life,” he told reporters. “Three rescuers got closer to the victim and confirmed she has died.”

An Instagram account providing updates from the Marins family throughout the search effort also said Marins was found unresponsive on Tuesday.

“Today, the rescue team managed to reach the place where Juliana Marins was. With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive,” the account, which amassed more than 1.5 million followers since Marins went missing, wrote in a post on Tuesday.

“We remain very grateful for all the prayers, messages of affection and support that we have received.”

Authorities earlier said Marins fell and they had spotted her but she was not moving. 

Officials earlier told told the Reuters news agency that Marins was at a depth of about 500 feet when she was first located, but had slipped to more than 1,600 feet by Monday.

Gunung Rinjani National Park said in a previous social media post that rescue teams used thermal drones, mountaineering gear and a helicopter to reach the Brazilian.

Authorities said that rescuers on Saturday had heard Marins’ screams for help and at the time, CBS News partner BBC News reported.

Marins’ last posts on Instagram show her backpacking around Thailand and Vietnam before reaching Indonesia.

Lombok island is a tourist destination known for its idyllic beaches and lush greenery, and many try to climb Rinjani, Indonesia’s second-tallest volcano, for its panoramic views.

In 2018 hundreds of hikers and guides became stranded by landslides on the mountain after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the island. At least 17 were killed across the island including one on the mountain.

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