A SINGAPOREAN man who was reported missing while hiking with his friend at the Panti Timur Forest Reserve in Kota Tinggi yesterday, was found safe this afternoon.

Kota Tinggi district police chief Hussin Zamora said members of the public found Jason Ren Jie, who is in his 30s, after he managed to get out of the forest on his own at around 2.20pm.

“We received a phone call at 2.22pm informing that the man was located at KM52, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing near Kubu Jepun (15th Mile). The victim only had minor injuries,” he said in a statement today.

Earlier, the search and rescue operation, which entered the second day in the forest reserve, started at 10am, involving officers and members of the Kota Tinggi district police headquarters, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Forestry Department of the South Johor Region (Kota Tinggi) and the Kota Tinggi Civil Defence Force.

Meanwhile, Hussin said the victim and his friend will be handed over to the Forestry Department for further action since they did not obtain permission to enter the forest reserve area.

He advised the public who intend to do climbing activities, especially in the forest reserve area, to apply for a permit in advance from the Kota Tinggi district forestry office, get the services of a mountain guide and inform the nearest police station of their movement to prevent the recurrence of such an incident.

In yesterday’s incident, the man was reported missing at around 1pm after hiking with his male friend, who is a local. – Bernama, September 18, 2022.