RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The air medical evacuation of a severely injured Malaysian climber on Mount Rinjani has been completed. The survivor was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Bali after the operation was delayed due to heavy fog and bad weather.

The Mataram Search and Rescue (SAR) Office earlier received a report that the climber had fallen while descending the trail from the summit of Mount Rinjani toward Pelawangan 2 Sembalun. The incident occurred on Monday, May 25, 2026.

“Due to the incident, the survivor suffered serious injuries and could not move her body. Rescuers from the Kayangan SAR Post and the Mataram SAR Office were immediately deployed to the location,” said Mataram SAR Office Head Muhamad Hariyadi in a statement on Tuesday, May 26.

The rescue operation also involved porters and guides to help evacuate the climber to Pelawangan 2 Sembalun. A helicopter belonging to PT SGi Air Bali, which had flown in from Bali, attempted to carry out the evacuation on Monday afternoon.

However, heavy fog covering the Mount Rinjani area severely limited visibility, forcing the aerial evacuation to be postponed for safety reasons.

Based on recommendations from the medical team at Nusa Medica Clinic, the survivor was advised to remain at the location temporarily and undergo intensive monitoring by nurses and the joint SAR team.

Hariyadi said the decision to postpone was made to protect both the survivor and the helicopter crew. “Due to weather conditions, specifically heavy fog, we postponed the air evacuation and will restart it once visibility is confirmed to be safe,” he explained.

Weather conditions began to clear on Tuesday morning, May 26, allowing the helicopter to take off again from Sembalun Airfield. After preparations were completed, the survivor was successfully loaded onto the aircraft and flown to Bali.

The helicopter landed at the Benoa helipad in Bali at 9:05 a.m. local time, before the survivor was transferred to Inmedika Sanur Hospital.

The success of the SAR operation involved coordination among multiple parties, including the Mataram and Denpasar SAR offices, the Mount Rinjani National Park Authority, PT SGi Air Bali, the East Lombok Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, medical teams, and porters and guides who continuously assisted throughout the evacuation. (Gusti Panji)