Where is Juliana Marins? Brazilian tourist still missing after falling from Mount Rinjani crater, family slams rescue delays

Juliana Marins was hiking in a group at around 6.30am local time on Saturday (June 21) when she reportedly fell from “a cliff that surrounds the trail next to the volcano’s crater,” according to Brazilian authorities. Mount Rinjani is Indonesia’s second-highest volcano and a popular, yet challenging, trekking site.

According to reports, Juliana was left behind by the tour guide because she was “too tired” to go on and the guide advised her to rest. The guide, with the group of five people, continued the journey to the peak of the mountain. The guide returned to the site later, but Juliana had already disappeared. He was only able to see the girl's flashlight about 300 meters down the cliff.

Indonesian park officials initially said rescuers heard Juliana’s cries for help on Saturday, describing her as “safe, but in shock.” Drone footage widely circulated by Brazilian media appeared to show her alive, seated on grey volcanic soil below a hiking path.

However, rescue teams were unable to locate her later that day, even after descending 300 metres to where she was believed to be. Thick fog and dangerous terrain disrupted the search, and on Sunday, thermal drones could no longer detect her. By Monday, she was spotted again, seemingly having slipped further down the cliff, but poor weather forced crews to suspend the mission.

“She spent the night alone, missing, and now they no longer have visual contact with her because she’s sliding down the cliff,” her sister Mariana told the press. “At first, they tried to reach her with a rope that was shorter than necessary and couldn’t.”

The family have voiced growing frustration with the Indonesian and Brazilian authorities. “The Indonesian government is lying, and the embassy is not verifying the facts before informing us. She is not receiving supplies,” Mariana added. She also claimed that videos released by local officials as showing a rescue were staged. “The images of Juliana were allegedly taken by family members themselves — not during an actual rescue attempt.”

Efforts to extract Juliana via helicopter have been ruled out for now. “The only way a helicopter could help would be if the victim were already at a safe location, like the campsite,” rescue personnel reportedly said.

According to the family, two rescue teams remain stationed near the crater and plan to resume operations once weather improves. But their patience is wearing thin. “Juliana is NEEDING HELP! We don’t know the state of her health! She still has no water, food or warm clothes for three days!” they said via social media.

Juliana’s father, Manoel Marins, also criticised the Brazilian government for its lack of involvement. “The embassy is not offering any support. The Brazilian government, which we’ve tried to contact, is also not helping us. This is very sad and extremely serious. She is a 26-year-old girl, a Brazilian citizen, and no one — except family and friends — seems to care,” he told Brazil’s TV Globo.

The Brazilian foreign ministry said it is in contact with Indonesian authorities and has sent two embassy staff to Lombok to monitor the situation.

Mount Rinjani, which stands at over 3,700 metres, has claimed lives in the past. In 2022, a Portuguese man died after falling from the summit, and in May 2025, a Malaysian climber also died during an ascent. Indonesian forestry official Satyawan Pudyatmoko urged climbers to prioritise safety when trekking in high-risk zones.