Missing villager found hanging from tree

0
kch-bp081216-ga-hang-p2

Firemen prepare to carry the deceased out of the jungle after retrieving the body from the tree.

KUCHING: The mystery behind the two-day disappearance of a villager from Kampung Stungkor Lama in Lundu was answered yesterday after he was found hanging from a tree in a jungle.

The 25-year-old deceased had been reported missing by his father on Wednesday after he failed to return home from inspecting his fish trap at Sungai Stum a day earlier.

A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said its personnel were despatched to the scene to launch a search-and-rescue (SAR) mission after being notified of the villager’s disappearance.

“The victim had gone to check on his fish trap around 5pm on Tuesday but did not return home, leading his father to lodge a police report the following day.

“Firemen from Lundu were immediately sent to the scene to begin searching for the victim, but had to postpone the SAR operation around 7pm due to bad weather and darkness,” said the spokesperson.

The resumption of the SAR operation yesterday morning ultimately led to the victim’s discovery around 11.30am in a jungle about 2km away from Kampung Stungkor Lama.

According to the Bomba spokesperson, the body was found hanging from a tree roughly six metres from the ground and was subsequently brought back down prior to being handed over to the police. The body was then taken to the Lundu District Hospital for a post-mortem, with police classifying the case as sudden death pending the result of the procedure.