KUALA LUMPUR – The five members of the Hash House Harriers’ (3H) Ipoh chapter who went missing yesterday on Bukit Kledang are yet to be found, but are reportedly safe, according to the Fire and Rescue Department.
The five, who were setting routes for a hash run initially scheduled for today, had not been able to continue their trek to the rendezvous point at the foot of the hill due to a downpour, but were still reachable via mobile phones.
“Due to heavy rain, they did not continue their journey and stopped to rest,” the department said in a statement on Facebook.
“When they did not come out of the forest, the Meru Raya fire station was contacted to assist in a search-and-rescue (SAR) operation.
“The five were contactable through phone. From a conversation, they are in good health and are safe.”
The department also confirmed that the five are hash harriers who are familiar with the area, adding that they had experience hiking, ranging from three to 25 years.
The five are Silver City 3H’s grandmaster (GM) A. Gunasundram, 68, as well as members L. Asokomar (67), N. Visva (47), V.R. Sauthiri Kannan (45), and V. Kishu Kumar (33).
They had begun their hike into Bukit Kledang at about 2.30pm yesterday, but failed to return to their starting point behind a Petronas station near the Ipoh-Lumut highway by 7pm.
The Perak Fire and Rescue Department said it received a missing persons report at about 12.40am today, and began a SAR operation at 2.30am. Four other Silver City 3H members assisted in the operation.
As of 7.20am, none of the five had been located, and another team was mobilised to continue search efforts, consisting of fire department officers and mountain rangers, as well as assistance from the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team (Storm) and K9 units. – December 17, 2023