Family Furious After ‘Botched’ Volcano Rescue Leaves Young Tourist Dead

“She screamed for help for days. They left her to die.”

A Brazilian backpacker trapped in an Indonesian volcano was left to die—despite being alive and crying out for help for four days. Now, her devastated family is accusing officials of lying, faking a rescue video, and abandoning their daughter in her final moments.

Juliana Marins, a 26-year-old publicist and dancer from Rio de Janeiro, was hiking Mount Rinjani in Lombok, Indonesia when she fell over 1,600 feet down a steep cliff near the volcanic crater. Her fall sparked a race against time—but what followed, according to her grieving relatives, was a nightmare of lies, incompetence, and failure.

A Hike Turns Into a Horror Story

Juliana was trekking with five other tourists and a local guide on Saturday when she began to struggle with exhaustion.

“She told the guide she needed to stop and rest,” her sister Marianna told Brazilian media. “Instead, he kept going. He left her behind.”

Alone and disoriented on a remote mountain trail, Juliana lost her footing and plunged into the volcanic abyss. Shockingly, she survived the fall. Witnesses said they heard her cries and even spotted her flashlight from the ridge above.

“She was alive. She was screaming for help,” Marianna said. “But nobody came.”

‘She Would Still Be Alive If They Had Acted’

Instead of launching an immediate high-stakes rescue, Indonesian authorities fumbled. Rescuers didn’t reach the location until Tuesday—four days too late.

“Juliana suffered great negligence on the part of the rescue team,” her family wrote in a heartbreaking Instagram post. “If they had reached her in the estimated 7 hours, she would still be alive.”

Worse yet, the family says they were misled throughout the ordeal. Authorities allegedly claimed she had been given water and supplies—claims the family now calls completely false.

“They told us she had food and water. But she didn’t. They even made a fake rescue video,” Marianna said. “We were lied to. The Indonesian government is not telling the truth.”

Abandoned by Governments, Betrayed by a Guide

Her father spoke to Brazil’s TV Globo, visibly broken.

“Our daughter was left for dead,” he said. “The Brazilian embassy didn’t help. The Indonesian authorities did nothing. Only family and friends tried to fight for her.”

Her family also blames the guide, who allegedly returned only after realizing Juliana hadn’t caught up with the group. By then, it was too late.

“She didn’t know where to go. She didn’t know what to do,” her sister said. “They left her alone on a volcano.”

A Tragic End—and a Call for Justice

By the time rescuers rappelled into the crater on Tuesday, Juliana was gone. Her family confirmed her death hours later.

“With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive,” they wrote. “Juliana deserved better. Now we fight for justice.”

The national park that oversees Mount Rinjani issued a formal condolence but did not address the family’s serious allegations.

“We express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the victim,” the park office posted. “May they receive strength and courage to face this disaster.”

But for the Marins family, condolences aren’t enough.

“We are going to seek justice,” they wrote. “Because Juliana deserves that. Don’t give up on her.”

Background: A Popular Trek, a Deadly Risk

Mount Rinjani, towering at over 12,000 feet, is a magnet for adventurous hikers from around the world. But its steep cliffs and unpredictable weather make it one of Indonesia’s most dangerous climbs. Juliana, who had been backpacking through Southeast Asia, had shared joyful posts from the trail just days before her fall.

Now, her final cries for help echo as a haunting reminder of what happens when thrill-seeking meets tragic mismanagement.

“She was only 26,” her sister said. “She had her whole life ahead of her. And she died alone in the cold while the world watched and waited.”