Five Mount Monrolo Hikers Struck by Lightning, One Dead
A tragic incident occurred involving a group of hikers on Mount Monrolo in Bonto Manurung village, Tompobulu subdistrict, Maros Regency, South Sulawesi. Five hikers were struck by lightning at the summit, resulting in one death and four injuries.
Head of Makassar Class A Basarnas, Muhammad Arif Anwar, confirmed the identity of the deceased as Fauzan (25), a resident of Bonto Tallasa village, Simbang subdistrict, Maros Regency. The other four companions were reported safe.
‘Four individuals survived, while one person died, named Fauzan. The incident is believed to have occurred on Sunday, 24 May 2026, at 17:20 WITA,’ Arif stated in his statement on Monday, 25 May 2026.
According to gathered information, the incident began when the five hikers attempted to reach the summit of Mount Monrolo on Sunday afternoon. However, the weather at the location suddenly turned extreme with heavy rain and lightning.
Despite the poor weather, the victims were reportedly engaged in documentation activities at the summit. Tragically, lightning struck the group unexpectedly. Basarnas Makassar received the report at 20:28 WITA and immediately coordinated a joint SAR team for evacuation.
The evacuation involved at least 22 personnel from Basarnas, Maros Fire and Rescue Department, Maros Disaster Management Agency, SAR Unhas, Red Cross, and local SAR potential and residents. The team arrived at the mountain base at 23:30 WITA and began the night ascent.
Mount Monrolo’s terrain, standing at 1,109 metres above sea level, posed significant challenges for the rescue team. The mountain is known for its steep, rocky contours.
‘The mountain is steep and rocky. Some sections required technical rescue using ropes due to the extremely steep terrain. These technical difficulties caused delays,’ Arif explained.
The first team reached the victims’ position at the summit at 05:50 WITA on Monday. To expedite the descent of the body, a second joint team of 20 personnel was deployed at 08:00 WITA.
After approximately three and a half hours of arduous evacuation from the summit, Fauzan’s body was successfully brought down to the mountain base at 09:20 WITA. The victim was immediately transported by ambulance to Tompobulu Health Centre before being handed over to family members.
Authorities have urged hikers to remain vigilant about extreme weather changes, particularly when at exposed mountain summits, to prevent similar incidents in future.