Joint SAR team safely evacuates foreign climber from Mount Rinjani

A joint SAR team successfully evacuated a foreign national from China, named Li Xianhua (47), in a safe condition after the climber slipped in the Mount Rinjani National Park (TNGR) area on Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

“At 04.47 Central Indonesia Time on Tuesday (15/9), the joint SAR team arrived at the TNGR Senaru Post together with the victim. The victim was immediately evacuated to the Nusa Medica Clinic in Sembalun for further medical treatment,” said the Head of the Mataram SAR Office, Muhamad Hariyadi, in Mataram on Tuesday.

The victim had previously been reported to have had an accident after slipping on the Senaru–Batu Ceper climbing route on Mount Rinjani on Monday (14/9) at around 08.00 Central Indonesia Time.

“The incident caused the victim to suffer a severe blow to the head, resulting in a loss of consciousness,” said Muhamad Hariyadi.

The Mataram SAR Office received an emergency report regarding the incident from an EMHC representative. Following up on the information, the Mataram SAR Office immediately deployed a rescue team from the Sembalun SAR Alert Unit.

To expedite the rescue process, additional personnel from the Mataram SAR Office and the Bangsal SAR Alert Unit were also dispatched to the scene.

“We immediately responded swiftly to this report of a life-threatening condition. The main priority was to reach the victim as quickly as possible to provide initial medical assistance, given that the victim was reported to have suffered a head injury and had lost consciousness,” said Muhamad Hariyadi.

He said that in carrying out the operation, the rescue team was equipped with adequate SAR primary equipment, including mountaineering gear, medical evacuation equipment, operational vehicles, and other supporting apparatus.

The success of the SAR operation was due in no small part to the synergy of the joint SAR elements, comprising the Mount Rinjani National Park Office (TNGR), the East Lombok SAR Unit, EMHC, the Nusa Medica Clinic in Sembalun, the Sembalun Police Sector, the Sembalun Military Command, as well as local porters and climbing guides.

Thanks to solid cooperation between the various elements in the field, at around 20.15 Central Indonesia Time the rescue team succeeded in reaching the victim. The evacuation was subsequently carried out in relay fashion, from the team that had initially provided treatment, towards the TNGR Senaru Post.

“With the victim having been evacuated in a safe condition, the SAR operation has officially been declared closed,” said Muhamad Hariyadi.