Evacuation Update of Brazilian Climbers – Mount Rinjani

The government is committed to organizing the rescue of a Brazilian woman climber, identified by the initials JDSP, who was believed to have fallen while climbing Mount Rinjani, according to Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni.

"In compliance with the Minister's directive, we are treating all hiking-related incidents with seriousness, including the Brazilian national's incident on Mount Rinjani," stated Satyawan Pudyatmoko, Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE) at the Ministry of Forestry, in Jakarta on Monday, June 23, 2025.

The government's serious approach to the operation is demonstrated by Satyawan's statement that Minister Raja Juli Antoni has personally communicated with the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Police Chief, and the NTB Governor to ensure the evacuation process goes smoothly.

The Mount Rinjani National Park Authority (BTNGR), the Indonesian Military (TNI), police units, regional disaster mitigation agencies (BPBD), firefighters, and local volunteers are among the several entities involved in the ongoing rescue effort. Progress has apparently been hindered by difficult terrain and bad weather.

Updates from the minister's correspondence with Basarnas indicate that heavy storms and dense fog made the evacuation difficult. As the weather deteriorated, a rescue crew that had dropped around 200 meters had to withdraw.

The Joint SAR Team continues the evacuation process for (JDSP 27 years old) a climber from Brazil who fell on a cliff around Cemara Nunggal, the route to the peak of Rinjani.

At 06.30 WITA, the victim was successfully monitored using a drone, in a position stuck on a rock cliff at a depth of ±500 meters and visually not moving

Two rescue personnel were deployed to reach the victim's location and check the second anchor point at a depth of ±350 meters. However, after observation, two large overhangs were found before reaching the victim making it impossible to install the anchor. The rescue team had to climb to reach the victim.

This evacuation faced extreme terrain and dynamic weather, thick fog conditions narrowed visibility and increased risk. For safety, the rescue team was pulled back to a safe position.

At 14.30 WITA, an evaluation meeting was held via Zoom with the Governor of NTB. In his direction, the Governor encouraged the acceleration of the evacuation with the option of using a helicopter, considering the critical time of 72 hours ("Golden Time") in rescue in the wild.

The Head of the Mataram Basarnas Office technically explained that the evacuation process using a helicopter is possible, but it must be ensured that the helicopter specifications at least have a Hois for air lifting and the very rapidly changing weather also affects whether or not the evacuation process can use a helicopter.

The team remains on standby and committed to continuing the best efforts for safety and humanity.