Irishman tells how he was rescued after falling into volcano where Juliana died in Indonesia

BBC News Brasil

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The Irish traveler reports that he was climbing the volcano when he decided to step a few meters off the main trail to take pictures. The ground, covered with loose ash and slippery rocks, gave way beneath his feet; he tumbled down a steep slope, rolling about 20 meters until he became wedged on a narrow ledge of the crater. The initial shock came with sharp pain in his shoulder and one leg, but he realized that despite the cuts and bruises, he had not broken any vital bones. With no phone signal, he began shouting for help while trying to stay still so he wouldn’t slide farther toward the volcano’s acidic lake.

Minutes later, other tourists heard his cries and alerted local guides. The park’s rescue team—trained precisely because of the fatal accident that had claimed the life of Brazilian tourist Juliana months earlier—was dispatched. It took rescuers almost two hours to get a visual on the Irishman, as they had to descend using ropes and improvised anchors in unstable rock. During that time, he says he stayed lucid, taking deep breaths to control anxiety and conserve energy while watching small stones tumble toward the greenish lake below.

When the first two high-angle firefighters reached him, they secured a harness around the tourist and began hoisting him up in stages. The extraction took about 40 minutes because the team had to stop every few meters to reposition ropes and ensure no further landslides occurred. According to the Irishman, Juliana’s death weighed on everyone’s minds: the crew kept talking among themselves, checking anchor points to avoid repeating the tragedy. Once back at the edge of the main trail, he was placed on a stretcher and taken to an improvised medical post, where he received bandages, painkillers, and an assessment by a nurse before being transferred to a regional hospital.

At the hospital, imaging confirmed a dislocated left shoulder, several deep abrasions, and mild hypothermia caused by prolonged exposure to the cold wind blowing up from the crater. Released after 24 hours, he gave an interview wearing the same torn clothes, thanking the Indonesian guides and rescuers. He said he now understands why local authorities reinforced warning signs after Juliana’s death: “I thought I was safe because I had good boots and stepped only a few paces off the trail. But here any slip can turn into a fatal fall.”

Concluding his statement, the Irishman advises anyone planning to visit the same volcano to hire authorized guides, stick strictly to the marked routes, and avoid stopping for photos on loose gravel areas—especially in the early morning hours when fog can hide holes and crevices. He says he intends to return to Indonesia to thank everyone involved in his rescue personally, but he will never repeat the recklessness: “This experience showed me that, in the very place where someone lost their life, I was given a second chance.”

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