SANDAKAN: A Singaporean tourist was rescued after he got lost in Kebun Cina Forest Reserve on Sunday.
It was believed that the tourist entered the trail at about 4 pm but reportedly did not return to the entrance at 7.15 pm.
The incident was reported to the Sandakan Regional Forestry Office.
A team was formed as soon as the report was received to find the tourist based on his last reported location that he sent.
A total of 16 staff consisting of the Protect team and the Sandakan District Forestry Office led by Janius Ebin found the tourist in the forest at 9.05 pm.
The 50-year-old tourist was found safe but a little anxious.
The incident was reported to the Chief Conservator of Forests, Datuk Frederick Kugan who was grateful that the tourist was found safe.
He congratulated the staff involved for carrying out the search even though it was less than three hours before the incident was reported.
Frederick advised the public not to enter the forest recreation path late in the evening because they might not have time to get out or stray from the available path because it was getting dark.
“Hutan Simpan Kebun Cina (Amenity FR) is small, with an area of 148.7 hectares, but the geographical conditions are quite challenging.
“Therefore, visitors need to be careful. Two types of paths are provided for forest recreation purposes here, which are concrete paths and natural paths. Recreational activities are not subject to any entry fee,” he explained.
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