KUALA LIPIS: Fifteen hikers stranded at the Pasir Berekit forest in Sungai Kechau near Padang Tengku, have been rescued, 18 hours after a search and rescue (SAR) mission was launched.
The hikers were left stranded after a river burst its banks, cutting off access for the group.
The 39-member SAR team comprising firemen, policemen and members from the state Civil Defence Forces, found the victims, aged between five and 56, near the river about 3pm today.
District police chief Superintendent Azry Akmar Ayob said the victims including two young siblings, were uninjured. Arrangements have been made to bring them out of the woods.
He said the group had entered the forest on Saturday for recreational and fishing activities but could not carry out their activities due to bad weather.
"The group leader, Amir Rosdan Ramli, then managed to hitch a boat ride on Tuesday night to lodge a police report. SAR operations were launched about 9.30pm before it resumed today," he said.
The victims have been identified as siblings Mukhriz Muzilysham, 5, and Muiz, 10; and their father Muzilysham Mustafar, 43, from Raub.
The others were Mohd Nurshaharuddin Mohd Khidir, 48; Norfarif Atan, 50; Mohd Anwar Amir, 36; Mohd Ridzuan Samsury, 34; Mohd Husni Mat Lasar, 42; Wan Mohamad Jamil Wan Yakub, 39; Redzuan Ghazali, 50; Mohd Zamri Zakaria, 56; Yaakub Yahya,34; Mohd Nazri Abd Latif, 37; Mohd Azahari Othman, 33; and Mohd Hafiz Rosnan, 34.