Jakarta (ANTARA) - An Indonesian minister has emphasized the importance of maintaining strong relations with Brazil following the death of a Brazilian climber on Mount Rinjani, West Nusa Tenggara.

"Good bilateral relations and cooperation between Indonesia and Brazil must be preserved and should not be affected by the tragic death of Juliana Marins," said Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, at a press conference on Friday.

Both countries are members of the BRICS economic bloc, and President Prabowo Subianto is currently attending a BRICS meeting in Brazil.

Mahendra expressed deep condolences over the death of Marins, who reportedly fell into a 600-meter ravine on the cliffs of Mount Rinjani.

He noted that the accident could have happened to any climber, given the mountain’s rugged terrain and extreme weather at the time.

The Indonesian government, he said, has shared information about the incident, evacuation efforts, and the results of an autopsy conducted in Denpasar, Bali.

Mahendra explained that the evacuation was especially difficult due to weather conditions that prevented helicopter use and the steep cliffs surrounding the site.

Rescuers were forced to conduct a manual vertical descent, carried out by SAR and volunteer teams.

According to the autopsy, Marins died 15 to 30 minutes after the fall from internal injuries and severe bone fractures.

Her family has questioned the delay in the arrival of help during that critical window, when she may have still been alive.

"Medically, even with immediate aid, survival from such a fall is nearly impossible," Mahendra said.

He added that the government has approved a second autopsy in Brazil at the family's request to verify the time of death.

Since both countries follow the same forensic standards, significant differences in the results are not expected, he said.

Mahendra added that he is coordinating with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan and Foreign Minister Sugiono to handle the matter.

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Translator: Agatha Olivia/Rio Feisal, Resinta S
Editor: Anton Santoso
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