Police: Six missing Gunung Trans Gerah hikers contacted, safe for now

IPOH, Sept 7 — Six people, including two children, who went missing while hiking on the Gunung Trans Gerah trail in Lojing, Gua Musang, have contacted their families this afternoon, reporting that they are safe. Police Chief Supt Abdul Samad Othman of Gerik informed that the group's condition was known to authorities around 5:30 pm today, following a family member's contact with one of the mountain guides accompanying the hikers.

He confirmed that the victims have been located but are still at their climbing spot, and a rescue team will arrive to bring them out either today or tomorrow, as they are likely within the Perak area. The specifics of their injuries or overall health status cannot be determined until the rescue team confirms their whereabouts. Abdul Samad noted that rescue procedures, such as the choice between air or land transportation, will depend on the victims' condition and location once the SAR team meets them.

The team's decision to utilize helicopters or land routes will be made upon the rescue team's meeting with the hikers. The Search and Rescue (SAR) process will conclude only after all victims are successfully rescued. Earlier, Wan Ahmad Aslam and his wife Siti Zulaiha, along with their children Diya Raisha, 13, and Ahmad Raef, 9, as well as mountain guides Shafiee Sidek, 49, and Hazman Mamat, 43, were reported missing after their trek on Aug 29.

They had not exited the forest by their scheduled exit date of Sept 3, prompting family members to report them missing to the police. The Perak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director, Datuk Sayani Saidon, mentioned that smoke signals detected via an aerial survey by a JBPM helicopter helped pinpoint the hikers' location in the forested area of Pos Kemar.

The aerial survey estimated the hikers to be approximately one hour's journey from Kem Kulim. A JBPM Mi-17 helicopter from Subang Air Base, arriving at Pos Kemar at 4:30 pm today, carried 11 SAR personnel, comprising five JBPM members, four PDRM personnel, one Forestry Department officer, and one mountain guide, along with 14 Malaysian Mountain Guides (MGM) who entered via the hiking trail, making the total SAR personnel count 25.

Sayani stated that the SAR team, along with the hikers, will regroup at Kem Kulim tonight. The exact timing for the group's extraction from Pos Kemar, whether that night or the following day, will depend on their condition and the situation at the location.