Alvi Kurniawan, 20, a climber from Magelang, Central Java, has been missing on Mount Lawu since New Year’s Eve. 

As of Thursday afternoon, a joint search and rescue team has yet to locate him.

“For the last three days, the weather up there has been foggy and rainy but we will continue the search,” said the spokesperson of the National Search and Rescue Agency’s (Basarnas) Surakarta post, Yohan Tri Anggoro.

Alvin was reported to have climbed the volcano on Monday night together with six friends via the Candi Cetho route. The following day at 10 a.m., four of them, including Alvin, decided to aim for the peak ahead of the others.

Reaching a place called Sabana, they met two other climbers from Wonosobo, Central Java, namely Janika and Fitri. Alvin then asked the two to engage in a race to the peak. 

However, Janika and Fitri became exhausted on their way up and took a rest at Pasar Dieng, while Alvin continued climbing on his own.

“Alvin actually became separated from his group once the competition started,” Yohan said.

At the peak, however, Alvin’s friends could not find him. They decided to descend Mt. Lawu on Wednesday. 

They waited for Alvin until 6 p.m. at the base camp but he did not show up. It was then that they reported the case to a search and rescue team.

“As of this afternoon, a search and rescue team is still conducting the search on the peak of Mt. Lawu,” said Yohan on Thursday.

At the same time, Bambang Santoso, 55, an elementary school teacher from Karanganyar, Central Java, also became lost on Mt. Lawu, but the SAR team rescued him on Wednesday afternoon.

“We found Bambang when it was foggy and raining heavily. He was conscious but weak and cold,” said the coordinator of the joint SAR team, Tri Puji Sugiharto.

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