A common muddy terrain inside the plantation where the boy is feared to be missing.
KUCHING: A three-year-old boy was reported missing at the Rapak Baru oil palm plantation in Pantu, Sri Aman since yesterday morning.
In a statement, the Fire and Rescue Department said a search and rescue (SAR) operation was launched and is participated by their personnel from the Sri Aman fire station, the police and about 20 villagers.
According to the statement, the department was informed of the incident around 2.30pm by the Sri Aman district police headquarters.
It was said the boy was brought to the plantation by his father and his grandfather who are working as guides for a team from Sarawak Forestry Corporation.
Both were tasked to tag two specific trees which requires them to climb a steep hill.
Due to the difficulty of the terrain, the boy’s father decided that the boy be left at a hut, located some 200 metres from where they had parked their motorcycle.
The boy was left at the hut with a bottle of milk.
As the trees are located some 1km away from the hut, it is unclear as to how long the boy was left alone.
He was only discovered missing by the grandfather who returned to the hut to collect a signboard that is used to tag the trees.
A witness who was tending to a paddy field nearby claimed that he saw the boy making his way alone towards where the father had parked his motorcycle.
The SAR operation as of press time was still ongoing despite being hindered by heavy rain around 6.30pm.