A Brazilian tourist who fell while hiking near the crater of an active volcano in Indonesia has been found dead, her family and rescuers said.
Juliana Marins survived the initial fall from a cliff during an early morning group hike along a steep trail on Mount Rinjani, with rescuers reporting hearing her screams for help on Saturday.
But efforts to reach the 26-year-old over the following days were hampered by the extreme terrain and foggy weather, according to Indonesian authorities.
After a complex rescue operation, teams finally reached her body on Tuesday, her family said in a statement on social media.
“With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive,” Marins’ family said. “We remain very grateful for all the prayers, messages of affection and support that we have received.”
Marins had been backpacking around Thailand and Vietnam before arriving in Lombok Island, Indonesia.
She was hiking up Indonesia’s second-tallest volcano with five friends and a guide on Saturday at about 06:30 local time (23:30 GMT Friday), when authorities said she fell from “a cliff that surrounds the trail next to the volcano’s crater”.
One group member told Brazilian TV that the terrain was slippery, the climb “very hard,” and visibility poor.
Drone footage and other clips filmed by hikers that have been circulating online and carried by Brazilian media also appear to show her distressed but alive and moving on Saturday. She was seen sitting and moving around in grey soil, far below a hiking path.
But rescuers could not find her when they descended 300m (984ft) to where they believed she was located, nor did she respond when they called out to her.
By Sunday morning, drone footage showed that she was no longer in the same place, said park authorities, who added that thick fog had hampered rescue efforts and affected the use of a thermal drone.
On Monday rescuers were able to locate Marins again, who appeared to have had fallen even further, but they had to stop work because of “climate conditions”, according to the family.
The search resumed on Tuesday, and rescuers finally reached her body after descending 600m down a ravine, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said in a statement.
However, bad weather has meant they have yet to retrieve her body. Efforts are due to resume early on Wednesday morning.
In total, 50 people have been involved in the rescue operation, search and rescue head Mohammad Syaffi said in a statement.
The 3,726m volcano attracts thousands of visitors each year.
However, several people have died trying to climb it in recent years – including a Malaysian tourist last month, Reuters news agency reported. Marins family have expressed concern over the fact the trail was not closed after she fell.
