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JOHOR BARU – The Singaporean man who was reported missing while hiking with his friend at the Pantai Timur Forest Reserve, Kota Tinggi yesterday was found safe this afternoon.
Kota Tinggi district police chief Hussin Zamora said members of the public found Jason Ren Jie, who is in his 30s, after he managed to get out of the forest on his own at around 2.20pm.
“We received a phone call at 2.22pm informing that the man was located at Kilometre 52, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing near Kubu Jepun (15th Mile). The victim only had minor injuries,” he said in a statement today.
Earlier, the search-and-rescue operation which entered the second day in the Pantai Timur Forest Reserve started at 10am, involving officers and members of the Kota Tinggi district police headquarters, the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, Forestry Department of the South Johor Region (Kota Tinggi), and the Kota Tinggi Civil Defence Force.
Meanwhile, Hussin said the victim and his friend will be handed over to the Forestry Department for further action since they did not obtain permission to enter the forest reserve area.
He advised members of the public who intend to do climbing activities, especially in forest reserves, to apply for a permit in advance from the Kota Tinggi District Forestry Office, get the services of a mountain guide, and inform the nearest police station of their movement to avoid this kind of incident from recurring.
In yesterday's incident, the man was reported missing at around 1pm after hiking with a local friend. – Bernama, September 18, 2022