‘Heartbroken when we said goodbye’

A young woman who died after plunging into a volcano in Indonesia had sent a heartbreaking text to her mother at the start of her trip in South East Asia.

Brazilian tourist, Juliana Marins was in a group hiking Mount Rinjani in Lombok on June 21 – the second highest volcano in the country – when she slipped and fell 1000 meters into a ravine.

Video footage showed the 26-year-old moving around, giving rescue teams hope, however fluctuating weather and heavy fog had made either a vertical rescue or helicopter rescue incredibly challenging.

“Today, the rescue team managed to reach the place where Juliana Marins was,” the family said in a statement at the time.

“With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive.

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

Final text

Marins, a publicist and pole dancer from Niteroi, outside Rio de Janeiro, had been traveling across South East Asia since February.

She had visited the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand before reaching Indonesia.

According to local reports, the 26-year-old sent a text to her mother at the start of her travels, in which she said she was “fearless” and was determined to follow her dreams.

In a message shown to Brazilian program Fantastico, Juliana said: “Mami, I love you so much. I was heartbroken when we said goodbye.

“In fact, that’s the only thing that worries me: letting you, papi or my sister be disappointed. Other than that, I’m not afraid of much, much less trouble.”

She also said she wasn’t afraid of life’s difficulties as she was raised by a strong woman.

“I was raised by a woman who can solve any problem and who is not afraid to take the plunge and go after her dreams.”

“I am like that too. I have different desires and dreams. I love you all very much! And I will always be grateful for all the support, care and affection. That is what makes me fearless.”

Extreme conditions

Marins was on a guided hike trying to summit Mount Rinjani when the tragedy unfolded.

There had been fears for her survival as rescuers battled to save her within a tight window of 72 hours – after which survival rates dramatically decline if victims are exposed to the elements and without food or water.

Alfi Zakki, a staffer working on advocacy and campaigns at the Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI) in West Nusa Tenggara Province where Rinjani is located, said the authorities suspected Ms Marins’ had succumbed to her injuries or the freezing temperatures on the mountainside.

“My understanding is that she fell and had become stuck some 500 metres down a ravine but, because of the extreme weather, they were not able to get to her. She had been able to move at first, but had then moved out of sight before being located using a drone when she was again seen alive,” Mr Zakki told news.com.au.

It is thought that Ms Marins had first tried to climb out of the ravine, although her movements had actually caused her to slip even further down its steep slopes.

While the Indonesian authorities had been quick to respond, sending three helicopters and rescuers from the army and Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency – the fluctuating weather and heavy fog had made either a vertical rescue or helicopter rescue impossibly challenging.

When they reached her, she was found dead.

Indonesia cracks down on safety

The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry and the National Search and Rescue Authority have pledged to conduct an immediate evaluation of the total standard operating procedures for mountaineering activities nationwide.

It comes following multiple deaths in the past five years at famous peaks including where Ms Marins died, Mount Batur and Mount Agung in Bali.

According to The Bali Sun, theaim is to minimize the risk of accidents and increase safety for climbers, guides, porters, and support staff.

The Head of Basarnas, Mohammad Syafi’i said all efforts made in the search and rescue mission of Ms Marins on Mount Rinjani were in accordance with international standards and that the biggest obstacle the team encountered was extreme weather conditions, which increased the rescue time.

“In the future what we want to improve is the potential SAR capability. We have run, the synergy in the field is quite good, but we need a better collaboration,” he told reporters in Jakarta, as per the The Bali Sun.

“In the example of a tourist area, it must be able to start from communication. With communication we can assess the potential danger, prepare the personnel and equipment. Our hope, with this limited ability can complement each other.”

The Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, confirmed his commitment to evaluating and improving standard operating procedures on Indonesia’s trekking routes. He also called for tourists to seriously assess their abilities before heading out on intensive climbs, the national publication reported.

“We will evaluate the total SOP, increase the number of posts on the climbing path, and prepare technology such as RFID that is installed on the climber’s bracelet, so that it can be quickly detected if there is an emergency condition.”