‘Missing’ hikers accounted for - A group of hikers were in high spirits after rescuers brought them out of Gunung Cabang in Kampung Pos Slim...

‘Missing’ hikers accounted for
By IVAN LOH and SYLVIA LOOI
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

IPOH: Despite spending the night in the jungle, a group of hikers were in high spirits after rescuers brought them out of Gunung Cabang in Kampung Pos Slim, 30km from here.

One of them, Michelle Kong, 21, suffered from fatigue and leg cramps and was the first to be carried out by rescuers from the deep jungle at about 6pm yesterday.

Out of the woods: A rescue officer carrying Kong out of Gunung Cabang in Kampung Pos Slim yesterday.

Kong smiled with relief when she was lifted into an ambulance that took her to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.

Nine other hikers made their way out of the jungle 20 minutes later.

The 10 friends had set out from here at 9am on Saturday to hike up Gunung Cabang.

At about 11.30pm, the police received information from the Simpang Pulai Fire and Rescue Department that six hikers had gone missing and a search party immediately went to look for them.

The six were Kong and fellow hikers Koh Yin Ming, 25, Yaul Ken Min, 26, Teo Guan Yew, 19, Jen Jie Kong, 36, and Liu Yen Yen, 33.

The other four in the group were Lee Kooi Zoo, 52, Woon Boo Siong, 26, Keoh Hiew Geok, 42, and Ng Peak Hun, 34.

Lee, who organised the hiking trip, said the six were not lost.

“They were feeling fatigue and one of them had leg cramps,” said Lee, who was the only one who had experience of hiking up Gunung Cabang.

“They were just too tired to carry on,” he added.

Koh, a quantity surveyor and a first time hiker to Gunung Cabang, said his group felt tired and could not catch up with the four others during the journey.

“So we decided to stop halfway to rest and camp for the night,” he said, adding that they were not scared and had packed enough camping materials for the night.

Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Azisman Alias said they managed to get in touch with one of the hikers early yesterday through a mobile phone.

“They told us they had ran out of water and were left with only biscuits,” he said, adding that the group was advised to remain at their location.

He said all hikers were located near a river at about 1.30pm.

ACP Azisman said most of them were exhausted and slowly trekked out of the jungle.

He advised hikers to the hills to inform the police or the fire station before going for their trip.

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