SHAH ALAM, Oct 21 — A rescue team member has claimed that there was mobile network coverage at the summit of Gunung Liang, where hiker Mustaqqeem Mansor, 34, was recently found dead.
Firefighter Marazman Mohamad, 38, who was among the first to arrive at the summit, said the deceased could have survived if other hikers had relayed early information during the incident.
“Along the trail, there was network coverage starting from Camp 7E. As we ascended further, several checkpoints also had coverage, and even at the summit, there was a signal.
“When I found the late Mustaqqeem, I immediately made a report from there using the Celcom line. I contacted and sent updates via WhatsApp to the operations centre.
“That is why I can confirm there was coverage. Had early information been received, InsyaAllah (God willing), he might have been saved,” he said.
Marazman recounted his heartbreaking experience to Media Selangor after his story went viral on social media yesterday.
The firefighter, stationed at the Tapah Fire and Rescue Station in Perak, said he and a police officer known as Sergeant Lan took five hours to reach the summit of Mount Liang on Thursday (October 16).
Both arrived at 3.30pm when they spotted something beneath the beirut (summit marker structure).
“We saw what looked like a person’s head resting as if asleep. We called out Mustaqqeem’s name several times, but there was no response. At that moment, our hearts were pounding, fearing the worst.
“Sergeant Lan then said, based on what we found, the victim was most likely no longer alive,” said Marazman, who is also a certified forest mountain guide (MGP) in Perak.
He immediately reported the discovery to the Fire and Rescue Operations Centre (PGO) and the Incident Command Post (PKPK).
“It was truly heartbreaking to find him like that. I thought about how I would break the news to his family, his wife, and his friends.
“I called his name several times, hoping for a response. His hand looked like it was clenched — I prayed it would move, but there was no reaction,” said a visibly emotional Marazman.
His team did not stay overnight at the site as they lacked the necessary equipment. Instead, the team requested assistance from the Fire and Rescue Air Unit to retrieve the body on the same day, but poor weather conditions prevented it.
“We asked for a helicopter to be deployed, but the weather did not permit it. In the end, we descended the mountain, and the replacement team went up to stay with the remains,” Marazman explained.
He added that every search and rescue (SAR) mission offers a different experience, but this one left a profound impact on him.
“In all my years of rescue work, most missing persons were found alive. But this time… Allah loved him more,” he said.
Marazman and Sergeant Lan were among 22 rescuers involved in the SAR mission for Mustaqqeem after his wife lodged a missing person’s report.
The victim and 10 friends had begun their hike from Bukit Fraser, Pahang, on October 10 and were scheduled to descend via Gunung Liang. However, he was last seen at 10.30pm on Tuesday (October 14) at the summit of Gunung Liang Barat, suffering from leg pain and walking slowly.
Mustaqqeem’s body was found at 3.30pm on Thursday on the summit of Gunung Liang. His remains were airlifted from the 1,933-metre-high mountain by an AW189 helicopter belonging to the Fire and Rescue Air Special Unit on Friday (October 17).
The police later confirmed that the cause of death was hypothermia (extreme cold), based on a post-mortem examination at the Slim River Hospital.
