The injured hiker is placed on a stretcher prior to being sent to the hospital for treatment.
BETONG: Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) personnel ascended Bukit Sadok in Ulu Layar here yesterday to rescue a group of stranded hikers on Saturday.
Bomba Betong operations chief Henry Jugah said the incident happened after one member of the seven-man group suffered severe muscle cramps to his legs while descending the hill.
“We received a distress call around 8.40pm and headed to the group’s location together with APM (Civil Defence Force) personnel and villagers of Rumah Joseph Sanda at Jambu Kerapak,” he said.
According to Henry, the fellow hikers had initially tried to carry the 36-year-old victim down themselves but were unable to.
“The victim weighed about 90kg. His friends tried to carry him down the hill but found it difficult due to the challenging terrain coupled with the darkening sky.
“At the same time, the friends were all exhausted and it became impossible for them to further carry the victim,” he said, adding the group members had taken turns to carry the victim for about one kilometre down the hill before giving up.
He said rescuers ascended some 2.4km up the hill to reach the stranded hikers, with the entire operation taking about five hours to complete. The victim was subsequently sent to Betong Hospital for treatment.
Henry also expressed his gratitude to the 20 villagers who aided in the operation even though they were not officially part of the rescue team.