Temporary Closure of Mount Rinjani Climbing Routes Following Foreign Climber Accidents

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tragedy once again stains the Mount Rinjani climbing route in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). After a climber from Brazil, Juliana Marins, died after falling on an extreme route, now a Swiss tourist named Benedikt Emmenegger (46 years old) also had a similar accident.

Benedikt fell while descending the route towards Lake Segara Anak on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Fortunately, Benedikt's life was saved despite suffering a broken bone and head injury. He is currently awaiting further evacuation from the accident location.

Head of Rinjani National Park Office (BTNGR), Yarman, revealed that Benedikt climbed with four people, including his son, through the Sembalun route. The mountain climbers fell while descending from the mountaintop to Lake Segara Anak.

"The victim descended from Pelawangan and fell on the route towards the lake. We are not yet certain whether there were rocks or other obstacles. What is certain is that the mountain terrain is indeed challenging," said Yarman, based on a report from Tempo.

According to Yarman, the evacuation process for Benedikt Emmenegger will likely use a helicopter, depending on the quite extreme conditions of the accident location.

"The helicopter has flown to the location, but whether it can land at the victim's fall point depends on the field situation," he said.

The rescue operation involves a joint team from BTNGR, Edelweis Medical Health Center, Indonesian Military (TNI), Indonesian National Police (Polri), BPBD, East Lombok SAR Unit, EMHC, Rinjani Squad, Fire Department, volunteers, porters, and local guides.

Head of Operations and Alert Section of Mataram SAR Office, Saidar Rahmanjaya, stated that the entire team has been deployed with mountaineering, communication, medical, and evacuation equipment. As of now, Benedikt's latest condition cannot be confirmed as the terrain towards the fall point is very steep.

This incident occurred shortly after the tragic incident that befell Brazilian climber Juliana Marins, who died after falling at the same location. The death of Juliana sparked controversy in Brazil, as the evacuation was considered slow. These consecutive incidents finally prompted the government to take firm action.

A day later, on Thursday, July 17, 2025, a Dutch female climber, Sarah Tamar van Hulten, was reported to have fallen at 13:00 WITA (Indonesian Central Time), on the Pelawangan route towards Lake Segara Anak, the same route where Benekdikt Emmeneger, a Swiss climber, fell a day earlier.

"We received the report this afternoon from the Rinjani National Park Office (BTNGR), and immediately dispatched a Rescue Team from the Kayangan SAR Post," said Muhamad Hariyadi, Head of Mataram SAR Office.

Efforts to rescue from the air were immediately realized. SGi Air Bali helicopter was reported to have taken off from Bali towards the incident location at Mount Rinjani at 15:45 WITA.

Head of Operations and Alert Section of Mataram SAR Office, Saidar Rahmanjaya, who was reached by phone, said that Sarah had been evacuated to Bali.

"At around 16:52, the victim had been successfully flown to Bali," said Saidar. "According to Saidar's preliminary information, the victim was reported to have a broken neck."

On Friday, July 18, 2025, Minister of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan officially announced the temporary closure of all climbing routes at Mount Rinjani.

"All routes will be closed until a comprehensive evaluation is completed, especially regarding climbing procedures and evacuation systems," said Gunawan in his official statement quoted from Antara.

The closure of climbing routes was decided after coordination between the TNI, Polri, Basarnas, and the West Nusa Tenggara provincial government.

According to Gunawan, the evaluation will not only cover the revision of Climbing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and evacuation, but also the improvement of safety facilities and emergency equipment.

"All safety facilities in Rinjani will be gradually improved to meet the established standards," he said.

The completely closed route is the extreme route from Pelawangan Post, which is at an altitude of 2,600 meters, to Lake Segara Anak. Climbers have always favored this route because of its natural panorama. However, it is also known as the most difficult and accident-prone route.

Yarman, Head of BTNGR, stated that during the closure period, the sale of climbing tickets will also be temporarily discontinued. Of the nearly 6,000 tickets sold by the end of the year, over 5,000 climbers are expected to arrive in July and August of 2025.

"For those who have already purchased tickets, climbing to the peak is still allowed through other routes, but access to Lake Segara Anak is currently completely closed," he said.

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