A GROUP of five men reported missing on Gunung Tebu in Jabi since Thursday was found by rescuers at a recreational area nearby at 9.15am today.  

Besut deputy police chief Azrol Anuar Nor said the men, aged between 23 and 39, were found after they managed to trek out of the thick forest to the Lata Belatan waterfalls near the foot of the mountain.

He said the search-and-rescue operation had continued at 8am today, undertaken by a team of 55 members from the police, Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Force. Nine mountain guides also joined in the search.

“Initial information received was that three individuals had gone missing in the mountain area on Thursday, but there were five in total today,” he said. 

Azrol said all five were sent to Besut Hospital, with one of them sustaining a leg injury.

One of the five, from Bukit Tunggal, Kuala Terengganu and who declined to be identified, said the group arrived at the recreational area at 11.30am on Thursday, before making an attempt to climb Gunung Tebu.

“However, at 4.30pm, it started raining heavily. We decided to head down but unfortunately, we got lost,” he said.

“We tried to find our way out but failed . So we had to spend the night near a waterfall. This morning, we managed to follow a river, which led us to the recreational spot.” – Bernama, September 2, 2023.