2 S'poreans get lost while hiking Langkawi mountain, rescued by 12-person M'sian team

Two Singaporean men were on a hike in Langkawi on Dec. 29 and could not find their way down.

A fire brigade officer said they were believed to have gotten lost due to the darkness, reported The Star.

Wang Cheng Kang, 23, and Li Shuen Qi, 25, had begun their hike up Mount Mat Cincang at around noon that day.

At around 10:30pm that night, the local fire brigade received a call regarding the missing hikers.

A rescue operation then commenced.

It involved 12 officers and personnel from the Padang Matsirat and Langkawi fire brigades, the report said.

Safely escorted down

Fortunately, the lost Singaporeans were found within three hours of the rescue team's arrival, at the mountain's summit.

They were successfully brought to the foot of the mountain at 4:36pm, and handed over to police for further action, said the chief of the Padang Matsirat fire brigade.

Both were safe and unharmed, reported New Straits Times.

The operation ended at 4:51am — roughly 15 hours after the start of their attempted hike.

A member of a local tour planner, who was deployed as part of rescue efforts, told The Straits Times that the hikers did not have equipment like headlamps or lights.

This might have caused them to lose their bearings, he added.

The local guide explained that the mountain typically takes six to seven hours to summit and descend.

Beginner hikers are encouraged to engage a guide while trekking Langkawi's peaks, he said.

Top image from Bomba Padang Matsirat/Facebook