By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, May 17: A tourist from Cyprus who went missing at Mount Santubong yesterday afternoon was rescued by the search and rescue (SAR) team last night.
Makhelo Gabriel, 22, hiked up the mountain alone after he reported himself to the Sarawak Forestry Office at about 9.10am.
His last communication was at about 1pm when he informed the forest ranger that he was at level 15 of the mountain. Contact was lost thereafter.
Worried, the ranger later alerted Santubong police station and with help from the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Civil Defence Force and Sarawak Forestry, a SAR was launched at 3.30pm.
Petra Jaya Bomba station chief Tan Min Chai said the SAR team found Gabriel at the mountain’s summit at around 7.46pm.
Apparently, the victim had taken a wrong route when descending the mountain, causing him to miss the designated trail.
Tan added that Gabriel was found on the lower elevation area, and they had to use a rope to pull him back up.
Gabriel was brought down to the foot of the mountain at about 10.49pm. Although unharmed, he was exhausted and taken to the Sarawak General Hospital for a checkup.
Mount Santubong is situated on the Damai Peninsular, about 35km from Kuching city. The legendary mountain is about 810m above sea level and is a popular nature adventure spot among locals and tourists. — DayakDaily
