A 46 year old Swiss tourist, Benedikt Emmenegger, sustained serious injuries while descending Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday, 16 July 2025. The incident occurred shortly after he reached the summit of the mountain and was making his way down towards Segara Anak Lake via the Pelawangan Sembalun trail.
Chairman of the Senaru Tour Organiser Association, Munawir, confirmed the incident on Wednesday, stating that Emmenegger had just completed his summit and was en route to the lake when the fall occurred.
“According to the information from the guide, this guest wanted to go down to Segara Anak Lake from Pelawangan Sembalun after summiting the peak of Rinjani,” said Munawir.
Upon receiving the report, Munawir immediately coordinated assistance from the tour organisers in Senaru.
“As soon as I received a report from the guide, I immediately ordered the tour organisers to go up and provide assistance. This is a form of our quick response,” he explained. However, he noted that the exact chronology of the fall remains unclear. “We still don’t know the exact chronology,” Munawir added.
The fall did not occur on a steep cliff or ravine, but on a relatively ordinary section of the trail. “So, the fall was not on a cliff but on the path leading to the lake. It looks like he slipped on the path,” said Gede Mustika, Head of the Evacuation Team from the Mount Rinjani National Park Authority (Balai TNGR), as reported by DetikBali.
Mustika further noted that Emmenegger most likely fell into an awkward position, causing significant injuries. He reportedly suffered multiple fractures and bleeding to the head.
Evacuation Efforts and Helicopter Transfer to Bali
BE had begun his ascent via the Sembalun route on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, and reached the summit the following day.
According to Mustika, after reaching the summit, the tourist and his group took a brief rest at Pelawangan Sembalun before attempting the descent to Segara Anak Lake. It was during this descent that the incident occurred.
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The TNGR team deployed eight personnel to the location, including two members of the medical team. “This team has gone to the location, there are eight people, two of them are medical teams. The victim is still near the scene,” Mustika said. The team was expected to reach the location within six to eight hours.
During this time, the injured Swiss tourist was attended to by his guide and porter while awaiting the evacuation team. The route by which the tourist would be evacuated, either Torean or Sembalun, had not yet been confirmed at that stage.
“What is clear is that the victim is being waited for by the guide and porter at the location, and there has been no movement. The victim is still waiting for the evacuation team,” Mustika explained.
They ultimately brought in a helicopter from Bali to complete the evacuation. Emmenegger was airlifted at approximately 17:00 WITA and transported directly to BIMC Hospital in Kuta, Bali, bypassing medical facilities in Lombok. The victim’s personal insurance covered the airlift.
Head of the Mount Rinjani National Park Centre, Yarman, confirmed the evacuation and the victim’s condition. “We don’t know the hospital yet,” he said, adding, “When evacuated, the victim was still conscious.”
He noted that the decision to transport the Swiss tourist directly to Bali was because of the severity of his condition and the availability of more comprehensive medical facilities.
