Two Climbers Missing On Mount Malabar, Bandung SAR Team Still Searching

District SAR team. Bandung prepares to search for two climbers on Mount Malabar. (photo: doc. between)

JAKARTA - Head of the Bandung SAR Office, Deden Ridwansah, reported that the two people were known to have disappeared on Monday, January 31 when they descended from the peak of Mount Malabar, West Java. The two missing persons are Ace (33) and Yoga (14) who are residents of Arjasari, Bandung Regency.

Until Tuesday afternoon, February 1, the Bandung SAR Office continued to search for the two missing climbers.

"Based on reports received from the family, on Sunday, January 30 at 07.30 a.m. local time, the two survivors went up to Mount Malabar," said Deden in Bandung, Tuesday, February 1 quoted by Antara.

According to him, they started the ascent from Mekarjaya Village, Arjasari District. The plan is that the climb will be carried out by going and returning on the same day.

Arriving at the top, the two people were known to meet a group of six people. They then camped with the group.

"The group has climbed to the top since Saturday, January 29. They decided to camp together and descend on Monday, January 31," said Deden.

The two missing people then got off first and planned to wait at predetermined coordinates with the group.

"However, the group did not find the two survivors at that point, then the group searched for the two survivors for approximately three hours," he said.

The group suspected that the two people were missing because the motorbikes belonging to the two missing people were still parked at the Mekarjaya Village Office.

With the two missing people, said Deden, the SAR team dispatched a rescue team on Monday morning. The SAR team, he said, previously coordinated intensively with the Bandung Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD).

"From the victim's family, the two survivors did not bring complete survival equipment, because the original plan was not to camp at the peak," he said.