ENGKILILI: A search and rescue (SAR) operation has been launched to locate an elderly woman feared missing after she left her longhouse at Rumah Alow, Kampung Bua, here early Wednesday morning (Jan 21) and failed to return home.
The victim, identified as Melaya Brayun, 75, was reported to have left the longhouse at around 1 am and was last seen near the house of a resident before disappearing.
Concern grew when she did not return, prompting family members and longhouse residents to carry out an initial search around the area, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
It was understood that the woman was wearing a green shirt with white floral patterns and black shorts when she left the longhouse.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said they were alerted of the incident at around 8.35 pm and dispatched firefighters from Sri Aman station to the scene, about 33 kilometres away.
The police and Civil Defence Force (APM) were also deployed to assist with the search focused on the forested areas surrounding the longhouse.
At the time of writing, Melaya has yet to be found.
Bomba stated that one of the main challenges faced during the operation is limited coverage of the Government Integrated Radio Network (GIRN) in the area.
