Brazilian Tourist, 26, Trapped Deep Inside Active Volcano In Indonesia, Rescue Underway

A 26-year-old Brazilian woman remains trapped inside an active volcano in Indonesia, after she fell near Mount Rinjani's crater lake over the weekend. According to the BBC, the woman, identified as 26-year-old Juliana Marins, was hiking with a group when she disappeared on Saturday evening. Brazilian officials said that she fell from a "cliff that surrounds the trail next to the volcano's crater". Search and rescue attempts have so far been unsuccessful due to the extreme terrain and foggy weather, as per Indonesian authorities.

In a social media post, Mount Rinjani authorities said that on Saturday, they heard the 26-year-old's screams for help. At the time, she was safe, but she appeared to be in shock, officials said. Drone footage also appeared to show her alive on Saturday. She was seen sitting and moving around in grey soil, far below a hiking path, the BBC reported. 

However, later that day, rescuers could not locate her when they descended 300 metres to where they believed Ms Marins was sitting, nor did she respond when they called out to her. On Sunday, drone footage showed that she was no longer at her location. 

Park authorities said that thick fog hampered rescue efforts and affected the use of a thermal drone on Sunday. The next day, officials located Ms Marins again. She appeared to have fallen even further, but authorities stopped the rescue mission because of "climate conditions".

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Rescuers had "advanced just 250m down, they had 350m left to reach Juliana, but they retreated", the family said on their social media account. The family also claimed that the park remains open and that tourists are still hiking on the same route, "while 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!"

The family also accused the hiking guide of abandoning the 26-year-old mid-way. According to them, Ms Marins was hiking with a small group on Mount Rinjani when she reportedly asked to stop and rest. But the local hiking guide allegedly chose to continue on without her, her sister Marianna Marins claimed, per The Independent. 

The Brazilian embassy in Jakarta is reportedly helping coordinate communication between the family and the tour company involved. According to the BBC, the Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement that it was in touch with the Indonesian government and had sent two embassy employees to monitor the rescue efforts.