BONDOWOSO — The intensive three-day search effort for two hikers reported missing on Mount Piramid, Bondowoso Regency, East Java, has ended in tragedy. A joint SAR team finally found both victims deceased at the bottom of a ravine in the Punggung Naga area on Tuesday (4/8/2026) afternoon.
The two victims were identified as Maliya Finda (51), an experienced hiker from Darmo Village, Wonokromo District, Surabaya, and Irfan Nasrul Lalili (34), a resident of Traktakan Village, Wonosari District, Bondowoso, who acted as a guide during the hike. Their bodies were found close to each other at the bottom of the ravine, about five meters apart.
Head of the Bondowoso Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Kristianto Putro Prasojo, confirmed the discovery. He explained that the location of the discovery was at a depth of about 60 meters on the steep terrain of Punggung Naga, an area not far from where the body of hiker Thoriq was found in an incident several years ago.
Although the positions of the bodies have been confirmed and placed in body bags, the evacuation (lifting) process had to be postponed until the next day. This decision was made due to the extremely steep terrain and the limitation of tactical rescue equipment at the scene.
The BPBD is currently awaiting the arrival of specialized equipment from Basarnas Banyuwangi to retrieve the bodies from the narrow ravine. In addition to equipment factors, the physical exhaustion of the SAR personnel who had been searching nonstop was also a consideration to schedule the lifting process for Wednesday morning.
To secure the location and expedite tomorrow's evacuation, some personnel of the joint team decided to camp overnight near the discovery site. Once successfully retrieved to the surface, both bodies are planned to be taken directly to the Bhayangkara Hospital before being handed over to their respective families.
