A 61-year-old man has been missing since May 26 after becoming separated from friends while searching for bird’s nests in a cave in Lahad Datu, with rescuers facing communication issues.
LAHAD DATU: An elderly man has been reported missing since May 26 while searching for bird’s nests in the Gua Tepadung area at Mile 17 here.
Lahad Datu police chief ACP Dzulbaharin Ismail said the disappearance of the 61-year-old victim, who is from Sandakan, was only reported to the police at 11.35 am yesterday.
“Initial investigations found that the victim had entered the cave area with two friends before he was believed to have become separated from the group at about 7 pm,” he said in a statement here today.
Dzulbaharin said based on information received, the victim was last seen wearing a brown shirt and brown long trousers, as well as rubber shoes and that he was also reported to have been carrying a climbing rope used for collecting bird’s nests.
Following the report, he said a search and rescue (SAR) operation was activated from 2 pm yesterday to locate the victim, who is believed to still be in the vicinity of the cave.
“The search operation is being carried out with the cooperation of various rescue agencies, including the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM),” he said.
Dzulbaharin also urged members of the public with any information regarding the victim to contact investigating officer Roniey Lajius at 010-4631071 or report to the nearest police station to assist in the search operation.
Meanwhile, the Sabah Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Operations Centre said in a statement that today’s search and rescue (SAR) operation, which began at 9.30 am, focused on the last known location where the victim was seen as well as surrounding areas deemed to have potential leads.
According to the statement, the operation faced communication challenges due to the absence of Government Integrated Radio Network (GIRN) coverage and the very limited mobile phone reception at the site.
“The rescue team that entered the first vertical shaft successfully reached the location where the victim was last reported to have been left behind and discovered a power bank believed to belong to the victim in the area.
“However, there was no sign of the elderly man at that location,” the statement said.
It also said rescuers identified another new shaft within the operational area that is believed to have never been entered or explored by any party before, and which is considered to have potential for further investigation.
As of now, the victim has yet to be found. The SAR operation was suspended at 4 pm today and will resume tomorrow.
