KUCHING: Two 19-year-old hikers who had been missing since yesterday at Permai Rainforest in Santubong were finally found safe today by the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba).
Today was the second day of the search for the victims, which was aided by the department’s Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team (STORM) and Multi Skill Team (MUST).
In a brief message sent around 9.20am, state Bomba Operations assistant director Henderi Ardimanshah said the missing duo could not be reached by WhatsApp or regular phone calls.
However, about 11.30am, the teams, which were split into three groups, were able to locate the victims safely.
Before being brought out of the forest, the victims, Gibriel Brodie and Christian Xavier, were given some food and drink.
Earlier, the department said they received a distress call about the missing victims, Gibriel Brodie and Christian Xavier, at 6.40pm on Monday.
Firemen from Petra Jaya station were promptly deployed to the scene to commence the search and rescue (SAR) operation.
The victims were said to have gotten lost after trekking along the ‘red-marked’ trail and were believed to be near a waterfall.
They were also believed to have drifted off the hiking track after deciding to turn back while making their way to the famous Blue Pool.
The team was able to contact the victims via WhatsApp about 7.15pm, and the search began immediately.
At 9.10pm, the victims attempted to indicate their location by lighting a campfire and sending their Google location over WhatsApp to aid in the search.
However, the search was called off around 1.20am due to low visibility, steep jungle track, and the hikers were said to have drifted off from the original hiking track.
