Evacuation of Climber Who Fell into Mount Slamet Crater Expected Only Tomorrow Morning

The evacuation of a teenage climber from Sirampog, Brebes, M Fahri Maulana (16), who fell into the crater of Mount Slamet, must pass through difficult terrain. The joint SAR team, which moved quickly, only arrived at night, and evacuation is expected to be carried out on Wednesday (19/8) morning.

A joint SAR team consisting of Basarnas, BPBD Tegal and Brebes, PMI Tegal, police, TNI, Puskesmas Bumijawa, MDMC Brebes Regency, SAR Bumijawa, Pemalang Rescue, Bosapala, Gupala, Kaliwadas, ORARI Tegal, and local residents moved quickly along the climbing route towards the summit of Mount Slamet. This step was taken to immediately locate the point where the teenage survivor from Sirampog, Brebes, M Fahri Maulana (16), fell into the crater of Mount Slamet, which is estimated to be at a depth of 30-50 metres from the crater rim, especially since the young climber was reported to show no movement after falling.

According to information, the victim M Fahri Maulana climbed with three friends, M Arnanda Fiki Ardiansyah (13), Rikian Fadlika (16), and M Ringgo Panca P (16), via the Bosapala Basecamp route in Dukuh Sawangan, Desa Sigedong, Bumijawa District, Tegal Regency, at 00.00 WIB on Tuesday (18/8). After reaching the summit, the group of teenage climbers began taking selfies around the crater, and the victim was reported to have fallen after sitting on rocks near the crater rim in the area between Puncak Salam and Puncak Tugu Surono. “At that time, the victim was daydreaming after taking photos when suddenly the ground cracked and slid downwards,” said the victim’s friend.

Upon realising the victim had fallen, his friends tried to locate the survivor by calling out, but there was no answer, so they reported the accident to officers at the nearest post, which was then forwarded to the Pemalang SAR Alert Unit, which immediately coordinated a response.

The survivor M Fahri Maulana, who fell into the crater of Mount Slamet, is believed to have died after it was determined there was no movement. The evacuation process will only be carried out on Wednesday (19/8) because conditions at the location were dark at night.

Head of the Semarang SAR Office, Budiono, said evacuation would only be carried out the next day because the SAR team had just arrived at the summit of Mount Slamet that night. “There is a possibility that evacuation can only be carried out tomorrow morning because the team could only arrive at the summit at night and conditions at the location are very dark,” he added.

According to Budiono, the victim was reported to be motionless after falling into the crater at a height of 35-50 metres, and it is strongly suspected that the victim has died, although monitoring continues from the summit of Mount Slamet, where temperatures are getting colder.

Meanwhile, Field Coordinator of the Basarnas Pemalang SAR Operation, Handika Hengky, said that in the evacuation process for the teenage climber who fell into the crater, three teams from Basarnas have been deployed with complete equipment, including to anticipate exposure to toxic gases during the evacuation. “We are currently deploying three teams that are still moving towards the summit of the Mount Slamet crater location, estimated to arrive later tonight,” said Handika Hengky.

The evacuation process is also expected to be difficult, according to Handika Hengky. In addition to having to determine the exact location of the victim, the difficult terrain of steep rocky cliffs that are prone to landslides and concerns about toxic gases mean the joint SAR evacuation team must be extra careful.