Malaysian climber injured on Mount Rinjani as TNGR conducts evacuation

A joint team from the Mount Rinjani National Park Authority (TNGR) swiftly conducted an evacuation of a Malaysian climber reported injured during a trek on Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Astekita Ardi, Head of the Administrative Sub-Section at TNGR in East Lombok, said on Monday that his team immediately mobilised upon receiving an emergency report at 3pm WITA regarding the incident involving victim Chye Connsynn, 41. ‘TNGR has coordinated in parallel with the Edelweis Medical Health Centre (EMHC) evacuation team and Nusa Medica medical staff,’ he said. He stated that official notification had been received for a helicopter air evacuation. ‘Field officers at Pelawangan promptly verified the data and set the pickup coordinates,’ he added. ‘The victim holds a premium insurance policy purchased during registration, so the helicopter medical evacuation option was immediately chosen to minimise physical trauma,’ he said. ‘The evacuation will be conducted by helicopter,’ he said. Meanwhile, Dr Lia Puspita of Nusa Medica Clinic said the medical helicopter was dispatched from Bali at 4.18pm WITA with an estimated flight time of 40 minutes. ‘We responded immediately for the medical evacuation,’ she said. According to tracking, the patient had a premium insurance policy purchased during registration, automatically qualifying for helicopter evacuation. However, extreme weather conditions on Rinjani thwarted the rapid rescue attempt, even though the helicopter reached the Pelawangan Sembalun coordinates. ‘For about 20 minutes, the helicopter circled in the air, attempting to find a gap through the white fog enveloping the steep cliffs. The pilot made the critical decision to turn back towards Denpasar, Bali,’ she said. Poor visibility due to fog and approaching sunset, coupled with dwindling fuel levels, forced the aerial team to halt operations. Following an assessment and reporting the patient’s condition to the responsible doctors in Malaysia, medical teams advised the patient to stay overnight at Pelawangan Sembalun due to the high risks of a land evacuation. To address the emergency and provide initial first aid on-site, a joint team from EMHC and Basarnas departed from Sembalun Resort at 6pm WITA to reach the victim’s tent at Pelawangan 2. ‘The air evacuation mission has been rescheduled for Tuesday morning (26 May 2026) at approximately 7am WITA, with the helicopter flying again from Bali. Meanwhile, Nusa Medica clinic staff are fully on standby at the base post to receive the patient,’ she said.