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Three women, aged between 35 and 47, had to be brought to safety by the police after losing their way in Clementi Forest on Tuesday (Aug. 3) evening.
In response to Mothership's queries, the Police confirmed that they received a call for assistance at 7:37pm, and that three women had lost their way in Clementi Forest.
A long line of police vehicles was spotted along Clementi Road at around 8:30pm by a Facebook user, who shared a video to the Singapore Hikers Facebook group.
Screenshot from Vitor Hong/YouTube
The three women were eventually rescued by the police and brought to safety at about 8:55pm.
Thankfully, the women did not suffer any injuries and required no further police assistance.
Possibly looking for rare orchids
Some Facebook users speculated that the women were in Clementi Forest looking for orchids.
The New Paper reported that the growing number of hikers at Clementi Forest have put endangered orchid species at risk.
Hikers to be mindful when visiting Clementi Forest
Another Facebook user reminded those planning to visit Clementi Forest to have a firm plan before embarking on a hike.
He cautioned visitors that the area, with uneven terrain and unstable mobile connection, makes hiking at night "unsafe".
He suggested hikers carry with them basic navigation gear and safety kits.
National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Land Authority had earlier in February reminded the public to exercise caution when visiting unestablished parks or nature reserves, such as Clementi and Dover forest.
Plans to create 2 new trails
NParks announced on Jul. 31 that two new trails near Clementi Forest will be ready by 2023.
The Old Jurong Line Nature Trail will cut through Clementi Forest and will be 4km in length.
The second trail, the Clementi Nature Trail, is 2km in length and will run along the Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal.
NParks said that there was a need to create designated nature trails at Clementi Forest as the increasing number of people visiting the forest poses a risk to endangered orchids inside the forest.
The forest, which is not intended for recreational purposes, also poses a safety risk to visitors as the trees are not maintained.
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