SEREMBAN: As the search and rescue (SAR) operation for missing Irish teen Nora Anne Quoirin entered its ninth day, police beefed up the number of personnel involved in the operation to cover more ground.
Up to 348 SAR personnel are now involved in the operation to find the girl who went missing from the Dusun Resort on Aug 4.
Among the agencies involved are various units of the police force – including its elite force VAT 69 – the Senoi Praaq, K9, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Forestry Department and volunteers.
Today, members of the media were invited for the first time to join the SAR operation at Gunung Berembun, here.
However, a recent rainstorm has hampered rescue efforts, as the ground is now slippery and muddy.
The SAR personnel are currently conducting a 10km-search of Gunung Berembun, with police saying that the operation will continue as planned despite difficult weather conditions.
Nora Anne, who is a special needs teenager, mysteriously disappeared from the resort where her family had checked in for a two-week holiday.
She is believed to have climbed out the window from the unit her family was staying in and wandered off.
Her family, however, dispute this – saying that she had never wandered off or got lost when they visited other destinations in Asia and many European countries.
They added that although Nora Anne likes to walk with the family, she has limited balance and struggles with coordination.