JOHOR BAHRU: A man, who climbed Gunung Pulai alone but lost his way while descending yesterday, was found safe after responding to calls from a search and rescue (SAR) team at about 12.30am.
The SAR team commander and Skudai senior Fire and Rescue Department officer Mohd Khairi Zainudin said the 56-year-old hiker, identified as Lee Chin Chai, was found by the team in a secondary forest area just past midnight, about two kilometres from where his last location was reported.
He said the victim was safe and in stable condition after receiving first aid and food.
“When the victim responded to our calls, the SAR team was able to locate his position which was not a trekking path.
“The victim was looking pale and tired when he was found but after we gave him food, he was back to his normal self and managed to walk by himself without support,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Khairi said the operation ended at 3.30am this morning and the victim was handed over to the Health Ministry officials, who took him away in an ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, the Johor Forestry Department director Datuk Salim Aman advised members of the public to not go on solo hiking trips because it could be dangerous and also urged hikers to adhere to the temporary closure of all hills and hiking tracks during the monsoon season.
“Hikers are advised to not go solo because it can be dangerous. Those who wish to climb mountains must seek the services of guides as well as seek permission from the authorities,” said Salim. – BERNAMA
