For nearly four days, the world watched and waited, hoping for a miracle from the steep ridges of Indonesia¡¯s Mount Rinjani. But when Brazilian authorities confirmed the death of 26-year-old Juliana Marins on Tuesday, hope turned to heartbreak and fury.
Juliana, a dancer from Niter¨®i just outside Rio de Janeiro, had been travelling solo through Asia since February. Last week, on June 21, she joined a group of five foreign tourists and a local guide to hike Mount Rinjani, an active volcano on the island of Lombok standing more than 12,000 feet tall. At some point, during the climb, she slipped and fell nearly 600 meters into a crater.
The news of her fall quickly went viral in Brazil, with millions rallying online through prayers, hashtags, and desperate calls for action. But as the rescue dragged on, her family began raising serious concerns not just about the dangerous terrain or weather delays but about how little was being done and how slowly.
As news of Juliana¡¯s tragic death broke, her family didn¡¯t hold back. They accused the official Indonesian rescue teams of serious negligence.
¡°Juliana suffered great negligence on the part of the rescue team,¡± they wrote in a heartbreaking post. ¡°If the team had reached her within the estimated time of 7 hours, Juliana would still be alive. Juliana deserved much more! Now we are going to seek justice for her.¡±
Juliana¡¯s father also expressed his frustration on Brazil¡¯s TV Globo, saying the family received no support from the Brazilian government or the Indonesian embassy. ¡°This is very sad and extremely serious. She is a 26-year-old girl, a Brazilian citizen, and no one ¡ª except family and friends ¡ª seems to care.¡±
Trapped for days, with no food or water
According to her sister, Juliana had asked her guide to stop during the trek because she was ¡°very tired¡±. But the guide and group allegedly continued without her. Exhausted and alone for about an hour, Juliana fell from the crater rim, an estimated 1,600 feet, and was left trapped for four days.
¡°She didn¡¯t know where to go. She didn¡¯t know what to do,¡± her sister said.
Though fellow hikers later spotted her flashlight and heard her screams, the rescue mission quickly turned into a nightmare. The family received confusing updates, with long delays and sometimes false information about her condition. They were also told ¡ª falsely ¡ª that she had been given food, water, and blankets.
¡°At first, they tried to reach her with a rope that was shorter than necessary and couldn¡¯t,¡± said her sister. ¡°Then they released a video that was clearly staged and not from an actual rescue attempt.¡±
Now, viral posts on social media are putting the spotlight on volunteers ¡ª not the government ¡ª for actually bringing Juliana¡¯s body back.
According to a widely shared post from Indonesia Pop Base, it was Agam Rinjani, a local climber and guide, who stayed with her all night to keep her body from sliding further into the crater. At sunrise, he reportedly carried her body up the volcano on his own.
?Another viral post praised Agam: ¡°He was the one who assembled a team to go after Juliana Marins while the government didn¡¯t even care. He was the one who went down the volcano to recover her body. And it was he who climbed back up with her. This is the one we should thank.¡±
One added that it was only after Agam stepped in that things actually started moving. ¡°He showed pure determination and empathy. He slept at the site, set up equipment, and made the descent when no one else would.¡±
Juliana¡¯s family claims they were kept in the dark for most of the rescue, relying on social media for updates. They said authorities were not communicating clearly and even accused the Indonesian government of spreading misinformation.
¡°The Indonesian government is lying, and the embassy is not verifying the facts before informing us,¡± her sister said. ¡°She is not receiving supplies.¡±
Online, many echoed the family¡¯s frustration. ¡°We¡¯re living in a nightmare here,¡± one of Juliana¡¯s friends posted. ¡°Authorities are giving conflicting and often false information.¡±
After the tragic confirmation of her death, the Mount Rinjani National Park administration issued a statement offering their condolences.
¡°The entire family of the Mount Rinjani National Park Office expresses its deepest condolences on the death of Juliana De Souza Pereira Marins,¡± they wrote. ¡°May [her family] receive strength and courage to face this disaster. Rinjani shares our condolences ¡ª the nature she loved witnessed her last steps.¡±
But for Juliana¡¯s loved ones, the gesture felt hollow. Her family is now seeking justice. ¡°Juliana deserved better,¡± they wrote. ¡°Don¡¯t give up on Juliana.¡±
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