MIRI: A 31-year-old woman who went missing while hiking in Lambir Hills National Park here was found safe on Saturday morning (Aug 22) after a search and rescue operation lasting more than 15 hours.
Veronique Joseph had entered the forest with five friends at about 8.40 am on Friday (Aug 21), but was found to be missing when the group emerged from the park at around 4.30 pm.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department said it received a report of the missing hiker at about 7.24 pm on Friday and deployed personnel from Miri Fire and Rescue Station to the area.
The first team arrived at about 8.35 pm, with the search operation continuing into Saturday morning.
At about 5.30 am on Saturday, the search team returned to the park after Veronique managed to provide information about her location through text messages.
A briefing was given to the search and rescue team and other agencies at about 7.40 am before the operation resumed.
At around 9 am, rescuers entered the forest and maintained contact with Veronique through WhatsApp.
She told them she had sustained minor injuries after slipping.
The search team reached the location provided by her at about 10.43 am. The rescuers then split into two groups and searched within a 500-metre radius of the reported location.
Veronique was found at about 11.17 am in a safe condition.
She was escorted out of the forest with the rescue team, reaching the command post at about 12.45 pm.
She was subsequently handed over to her employer and family members, who took her to KPJ Miri Specialist Hospital for a medical examination.
The operation was officially called off at 1 pm.
Four firefighters took part in the operation, supported by a Hilux utility vehicle and an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicle.
Police deployed four personnel, while five park rangers and two of Veronique’s friends also assisted in the search.
The operation was led by Fire Officer II Fitri Hezry Francis, with Zone 6 Miri senior officers Alif Nasif and Mohammad Hassan Haji Liakbar overseeing operations at the scene.
