A tragic incident has gripped the international community after a young Brazilian woman, Juliana Marins, 26, slipped and fell into an active volcano in Indonesia. The tourist slips and falls into active volcano after being left behind by her hiking guide during a trek on Mount Rinjani, a prominent volcano on the island of Lombok.
The terrifying fall took place on the morning of June 22, and as of the latest updates, Marins remains trapped deep within the volcano’s interior while a complex rescue mission is ongoing. The accident and the circumstances leading up to it have sparked concern, outrage, and a desperate plea for more help from her family and friends back home.
Mount Rinjani, with its dramatic landscapes and challenging trails, is a magnet for adventure seekers. However, the same terrain that attracts climbers also presents grave risks, especially under poor weather conditions and without proper guidance.
In Juliana Marins’ case, it was not just nature that turned treacherous — it was the human decision to leave a fatigued hiker behind that may have sealed her fate. Her story is one of endurance, survival, mismanagement, and a family’s unyielding determination to bring her home alive.
Brazilian Tourist Slips and Falls Into Active Volcano
Juliana Marins had embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime backpacking journey across Southeast Asia. With posts on Instagram showing her recent travels through countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, Marins appeared to be living out an adventurous dream.
Scuba diving, playing cards with locals, practicing yoga, and enjoying nature — her vibrant smile and zest for life were apparent in every shared photo. Her latest stop was Indonesia, where she joined a guided group hike to Mount Rinjani, an active volcano renowned for its breathtaking crater lake and spiritual significance among locals.
The group reportedly consisted of five hikers and a single guide. According to Marins’ sister Marianna, who spoke to Brazil’s Fantástico TV show, Juliana had grown extremely tired midway through the trek and asked to pause. To the shock and disbelief of her family and friends, the guide continued the climb with the others, abandoning her on the trail. It is this act — to leave a hiker alone in such treacherous terrain — that would later prove disastrous.
Hiker trapped days after falling onto active Indonesian volcano as panicked family begs for help https://t.co/FOHpnkrcqh pic.twitter.com/Bb1C8uZ2YU
— New York Post (@nypost) June 23, 2025
Marins sat and rested for an hour, likely disoriented and exhausted. At sunrise, she slipped from the cliff edge overlooking the crater lake and fell over 1,000 feet into the volcano. Initial drone footage captured by Indonesian authorities showed her stranded on a rock ledge at a depth of 500 meters — nearly 1,600 feet down. While she appeared motionless in the footage, reports indicate that she may have slipped even further since then.
Rescue Operations Hampered by Extreme Weather and Terrain
As the news of Marins’ fall reached her family and spread across social media, a massive rescue operation was launched. Yet rescuers have faced formidable challenges. Gunung Rinjani National Park officials confirmed that thick fog, rugged cliffs, and unpredictable weather have hindered efforts. An initial helicopter attempt was aborted due to visibility issues, and ground rescuers, despite their determination, have only been able to descend around 250 meters — a shortfall that left them 350 meters away from her known position.
For three days and counting, conditions have remained perilous, leading the park authorities to call back the rescue teams for safety reasons. “For safety, the rescue team was pulled back to a safe position,” the park’s statement read. But for Marins’ family, every minute counts.
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“A whole day and they advanced only 250 meters below, there were 350 meters left to reach Juliana, and they retreated,” the family expressed in a deeply emotional statement on Instagram. Their plea for international assistance has grown louder. “We need help, we need the rescue to reach Juliana urgently!”
On Monday, the family confirmed that two experienced local mountaineers were on their way to the volcano with specialized equipment in hopes of reaching Juliana. This news gave a glimmer of hope, but it remains unclear how long the terrain and weather will allow rescue operations to safely proceed.
Rescuers reportedly heard screams for help from Marins on the day of her fall, indicating that she was alive at the time. Since then, however, her condition has remained unknown. The mental and physical toll of being stranded alone in a volcanic pit, without food, water, or shelter, is unimaginable. Every update is met with both fear and hope by her loved ones.
Accountability, Misinformation, and Family’s Call for Action
Beyond the physical ordeal, questions are now being raised about the handling of the situation by both local authorities and the tour company responsible for guiding the hike. Marins’ family and friends claim that they first learned of her fall from social media, not from any official source. Moreover, they allege that Indonesian officials have been inconsistent in their communication, at one point falsely claiming that food and water had reached Marins — a statement later proven to be untrue.
Marianna, Juliana’s sister, emphasized in her interview how the tragedy could have been avoided if only the guide had remained with her sister. “She didn’t know where to go. She didn’t know what to do,” Marianna said. “When the guide came back because he saw that she was taking too long, he saw that she had fallen down there.”
This single decision — to leave her behind — has led to a potentially catastrophic outcome. Many on social media and within Brazil have criticized the lack of oversight by the tour agency, demanding accountability and improved safety standards for trekking on such dangerous terrain.
A friend of Marins described the ongoing situation as a nightmare, adding that the family is battling both the emotional toll and the bureaucratic silence. Meanwhile, the Brazilian embassy in Jakarta is trying to coordinate with Indonesian authorities and the tour company to facilitate better communication and hopefully accelerate the rescue.
Juliana Marins is more than just a headline — she is a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a spirited traveler who set out to see the world. Her life, her choices, and her love for the outdoors have now been overshadowed by a single misjudgment by someone entrusted with her safety.
As the rescue mission continues, her family clings to the hope that she will be found alive. The outpouring of support on social media from fellow Brazilians and travelers around the globe is growing. But hope alone is not enough. Action, expertise, and an unwavering commitment to human life are what’s needed now.
The story of Juliana Marins is a sobering reminder that adventure tourism, no matter how thrilling, carries serious responsibilities. The physical beauty of destinations like Mount Rinjani must be matched with stringent safety protocols and a moral obligation to never abandon those who trust their lives to local guides.
While the world watches and waits, one can only hope that Juliana — who has already endured days in one of Earth’s most hostile natural environments — is holding on, waiting to be brought back to safety, warmth, and home.