KOTA BHARU - A single mother in her 50s drowned after she is believed to have slipped into Sungai Betis while hiking in Pos Balar, Gua Musang.
Gua Musang Police chief Supt Sik Choon Foo said the woman from Kuala Lumpur was part of a group of 11 hikers who began their expedition on May 1.
He said the expedition covered the areas of Gunung Gerah, Gunung Bilah and Gunung Biyed.
"The incident occurred on May 2 at about 7.30pm. While passing through the Sungai Betis area in the dark, the victim is believed to have slipped and fallen into the river," he said in a statement today.
Sik said members of the group mounted an immediate search, but the victim was not found that night.
"On May 3 at about 8am, the victim was eventually found about 300 metres from the incident site, unconscious and believed to have died.
"Police received official information regarding the incident on the same day at 3.21pm," he said, adding that the Gua Musang Police headquarters assisted by the Fire and Rescue Department, retrieved the victim’s body.
He said the rescuers had to travel by four-wheel-drive vehicles for about four hours, followed by nearly 10 hours on foot to reach the location.
"The case has been classified as sudden death and the woman’s body was taken to Gua Musang Hospital for a post-mortem," he said. - BERNAMA