SHAH ALAM, Sept 7 — A Selangor family of four, including two children aged nine and 13, is among six hikers feared missing during a trek through the Gunung Trans Gerah area in Lojing, Gua Musang.
The group, which includes two mountain guides, began their hike from Gua Musang on August 29 and was scheduled to return on September 3.
Their families lodged a missing-person report yesterday after they failed to return as planned.
Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department director Farhan Sufyan Borhan said the six have been identified as mountain guides Shafiee Sidek, 49, and Hazman Mamat, 43; Wan Ahmad Aslam Wan Zairudin, 39; his wife Siti Zulaiha Norizan, 39; and their children Diya Raisha Wan Ahmad Aslam, 13, and Ahmad Raef Wan Ahmad Aslam, nine.
Another individual listed on the hiking permit did not join the expedition.
Farhan Sufyan said the search and rescue (SAR) operation is being led by the Perak Fire and Rescue Department and is currently focused on the Perak side, as the group is believed to have entered the state.
They were reportedly seen by another group on September 1.
Four members of the Kelantan department’s Special Tactical Operations and Rescue Team (STORM), four firefighters from Gua Musang and six mountain guides from the district have been placed on standby to assist.
“For now, we are on standby at the Gua Musang Fire and Rescue Station and will only be deployed if the Perak Fire and Rescue Department, which is leading the SAR operation, requires assistance,” he told Bernama today.
He said the Kelantan team would be deployed if the missing group turned back and re-entered the trail from the Kelantan side.
“Based on information from hikers, it normally takes about three days to cross all three mountains. We have yet to determine whether they became lost or whether any of them sustained injuries,” he said.
Farhan Sufyan said the journey from the Gua Musang Fire and Rescue Station to the foothills of Gunung Gerah takes about four and a half hours, comprising an hour on paved roads and three and a half hours along an off-road route.
A helicopter is also expected to assist the SAR operation and trace the route believed to have been taken by the group during their hike.
Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad was earlier reported as saying the helicopter would be used to help locate the missing hikers.
Meanwhile, Gua Musang police chief Supt Sik Choon Foo said the incident was believed to be the first case involving a group entering the area and subsequently losing contact.
“They had valid hiking permits issued by the state forestry department and had also hired two mountain guides. Based on the department’s records, this is believed to be their first time climbing the mountain, although they may have experience climbing other mountains.
“I was also informed that the group had experience in hiking activities, based on their decision to engage the services of mountain guides,” he said.
