Irish tourist survives 650ft horror fall down mountain in Indonesia

An Irish tourist survived a 650ft fall down a mountain in Indonesia.

Paul Farrel, 31, from Sligo was hiking alone up Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara when he reportedly slipped on the gravelly slope early on Thursday morning, October 9.

He was said to have rolled 650 feet down the hiking trail but lived through the horror fall with only minor injuries.

Paul called the TNGR Sembalun Resort for help, and the resort head, Taufiqurrohman, notified the police at around 9 am.

The rescue team found the injured trekking sheltering in the shade of small outcrop. He had several deep cuts and bruises on his face, legs, and arms.

Paul calmly lit up a cigarette - relieved that the search team had found him.

He told them: 'Thank you so much. You boys saved my life. I would never have been able to get back without you. I'm going to stay safe after this and not go too far from my hotel.'

Footage shows volunteers winching him to safety using a pulley. He gave his rescuers a big hug when he was pulled back up on higher ground.

Iptu Nikolas Osma, chief of Public Relations of the East Lombok Police, said: 'The victim allegedly slipped because the location is sandy.

'The joint search and rescue team managed to evacuate him. From the results of the medical team's examination, he only suffered minor injuries to the shoulder. His general condition is currently healthy.'

Paul was taken to the Pelawangan Emergency Shelter for further observation.

Authories said the place where he fell was near the point where the corpse of a missing Indonesian teenage hiker, Kaifat Rafi Mubarraq, 16, was found.

The youngster was reported missing on September 29 after setting out for the summit of Mount Rinjani. A drone found his body lying in a ravine on October 8.

Mount Rinjani is an active volcano located on the island of Lombok in Indonesia. It is the second-highest volcano in the country, standing at 12,224 feet. Hikers often traverse the mountain's dangerous terrain to see the stunning crater lake, Segara Anak, nearby.