Juliana Marins, 26, died after falling into the crater of Mount Rinjani, in Lombok, Indonesia. In a text to her mum before her trip, she said she was ‘not afraid’
A backpacker who tragically died after falling into a volcano in Indonesia sent her mum a heartbreaking text at the beginning of her trip in South East Asia.
Juliana Marins, 26, slipped and plunged nearly 1,000 feet down while climbing Mount Rinjani, in Lombok, on a guided hike on June 21. The publicist and pole dancer, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, vanished after falling into the crater – and her body was found after a four-day search effort. Local police said Juliana had stopped to rest due to fatigue while the guide continued with the rest of the group. However, by the time he returned she was dead.
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It has now emerged that at the start of her doomed trip, Juliana had texted her mum, Estela Marins, to say that she was “fearless” and was determined to follow her dreams. In a message shown to Brazilian programme Fantastico, Juliana said: “Mami, I love you so much. I was heartbroken when we said goodbye.
“In fact, that’s the only thing that worries me: letting you, papi or my sister be disappointed. Other than that, I’m not afraid of much, much less trouble.”
She also said she wasn’t afraid of life’s difficulties as she was raised by a strong woman. “I was raised by a woman who can solve any problem and who is not afraid to take the plunge and go after her dreams,” Juliana texted.
“I am like that too. I have different desires and dreams. I love you all very much! And I will always be grateful for all the support, care and affection. That is what makes me fearless.”
According to Globo, her body is expected to arrive in Brazil today – and an autopsy will be carried out to determine whether she could have been saved if she had been rescued earlier. The first autopsy was performed a hospital in Bali on June 26.
The coroner concluded her death occurred after “trauma” – in a process that took her life in 20 minutes. However, it’s not clear when the fatal injury occurred as between the time she fell and the day before she was found dead, she was heard screaming and was seen on drone footage, still alive.
Juliana’s family described the rescue mission as “botched” and claimed the tour guide abandoned her. Her sister, Mariana Marins, said: “Juliana was in this group, but she got very tired and asked to stop for a while. They kept going, and the guide didn’t stay with her.”
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry called her death a tragedy and said that the country’s embassy in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, had co-ordinated the rescue with local authorities. Authorities did not say when exactly she died.
In an Instagram post, Juliana’s family thanked the many Brazilians who had prayed for their daughter’s safety. She was a dancer who lived in Niteroi, outside Rio de Janeiro and had been travelling across Asia since February. She had visited the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand before reaching Indonesia.