BIDOR - The discovery of a water bottle and a supplement package, believed to belong to a missing female hiker on Gunung Batu Putih here, has become the latest clues in the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the victim, Jaslinda Saludin, 49.
Perak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) deputy director Yusri Mohd Yusoff @ Hashim said the discovery of the items indicated that the victim had deviated from the original hiking route and moved towards Gunung Rayu.
"Based on the information we obtained from eight-member rescue team, along with a guide we communicated with, it is said that the victim deviated from the intended path based on the discovery of these items.
"We found the victim's water bottle, supplements, supplement containers, footprints, and sweet wrappers believed to belong to the victim on the path leading to Gunung Rayu, and we believe the victim continued to move based on those traces," he said.
He said this when met at a press conference at the Front Control Post at the 3rd Battalion Camp of the General Operations Force (GOF) in Bidor here today.
Yusri said that his team also believes the victim did not go off track (mountain trail) due to the physical condition of the woman, who was reported to be experiencing pain in her leg.
"We hope she doesn't go off track, and from our investigation, there is no other route she can go off track. She will continue to Gunung Rayu," he said.
Meanwhile, the SAR operation was postponed at 5.30 pm today due to weather conditions that prevented the AW139 aircraft from approaching the location of the first rescue team (the team from last night) to send the second rescue team to join at the site.
The operation is scheduled to resume at 8 am tomorrow, with plans to send in a new team and extract the members who have been at the scene for two nights.
Jaslinda was reported to be with 13 other individuals and two Forestry Mountain Guides (MGPs) starting the Trans Spencer Chapman hike at 2 am on May 23 via the Pos Gedung-Gunung Bah Gading-Gunung Batu Putih-Kuala Woh route.
She and another climber, Mohd Hanafi Neikmad, 41, experienced health issues and stopped, however, Jaslinda was reported to have continued her journey to the mountain peak and last seen by MGPs at 7.30 am on Sunday. - BERNAMA