The tragic death of 26-year-old Brazilian tourist Juliana Marins after falling into Mount Rinjani, an active volcano in Indonesia, has sparked international outrage.
Her grieving family is accusing a tour guide of abandonment and local rescue authorities of negligence.
Marins, a Black publicist and dancer from Niterói, Brazil, was on a solo backpacking trip across Southeast Asia when she joined a small guided hike up Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s second-tallest volcano, on June 21. But somewhere along the trail, things went terribly wrong.
According to her sister, Marianna Marins, Juliana became exhausted and asked to stop — but the guide continued hiking and left her behind.
“She didn’t know where to go. She didn’t know what to do,” Marianna said in an interview with Fantástico. “When the guide came back because he saw that she was taking too long, he saw that she had fallen down there.”
Screams Heard — But Rescue Came Too Late
Park officials said Marins slipped down a ravine and fell more than 1,600 feet into the crater. Her screams for help were reportedly heard on the day of the fall, but rescue operations were delayed and hampered by bad weather.
A thermal drone later confirmed that she had still been alive three days after the fall — but it wasn’t until the fourth day that search crews recovered her lifeless body.
“Juliana suffered great negligence on the part of the rescue team,” the family wrote in a social media statement. “Juliana deserved much more… Don’t give up on Juliana!”
More than 50 people were eventually involved in the search effort, which utilized helicopters, mountaineering gear, and advanced drones.
Family: ‘We Were Lied To’
Loved ones also slammed Indonesian authorities for their lack of transparency. According to the family, officials repeatedly gave them inaccurate and conflicting information, including a false report that food and water had been offered to Juliana a day after she vanished into the volcano.
Officials from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed her death and extended condolences, acknowledging the complexity of the recovery efforts due to “adverse weather, ground and visibility conditions.”
A Life Cut Short
Juliana had been documenting her journey across Southeast Asia on Instagram, visiting countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines before arriving in Indonesia. Her posts reflected a deep love for travel, dance, and new cultures.
This is not the first time Mount Rinjani has claimed lives. In recent years, other hikers — including a Malaysian man and a Portuguese tourist — have died in separate falls.
Juliana’s family now says they will pursue legal action in the name of justice.
“She was vibrant, passionate, and full of life,” one friend wrote online. “She didn’t deserve this.”
