Croatian mountaineer Mauro Persic has broken his silence on a nine-day survival ordeal on Mount Kinabalu, revealing he came close to giving up even after rescuers finally reached him.
The 46-year-old, who was rescued on Sept 10 after becoming lost on the mountain’s remote eastern side, described battling severe injuries, hallucinations, flash floods, and a crushing sense of despair during his time trapped in a narrow gully.
Persic’s nightmare began on Sept 6 when he slipped and fell roughly 10 metres down a steep slope while trekking without a permit through the Mesilou River area on the eastern plateau. He managed to contact emergency services using a weak cell phone signal, but the terrain made rescue nearly impossible, The Star reported.
For days, Persic lay trapped with minimal shelter, no food, and only a nearby stream for water. Heavy rain turned the gully into a flash flood channel, sweeping away his sleeping bag and forcing him to cling to a rock projection for two hours.
“Perhaps from the shock, I was getting so tired and sleepy that I had a sudden urge to let go. It appeared suddenly so easy just to let go,” Persic wrote in a Facebook post detailing his experience.
The London-based climber recounted severe physical strain, bleeding wounds, constant rain, swarming flies, and vivid hallucinations. On his fourth day alone, he heard what he described as a “diabolic primate screech” and spotted a creature he initially mistook for a wild goat.
A 43-member search and rescue team, comprising personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department’s STORM and MOCSAR units, mountain guides, porters, and rangers, worked through challenging weather and steep terrain to reach him, Bernama reported. The operation, which spanned five days, required navigating a two- to three-kilometre route with limited footholds.
Rescuer Luis Jai Matuas became the first person Persic had seen in eight days when he rappelled into the gully. “He brought me a hot drink and biscuits, and I was in heaven again,” Persic wrote.
The extraction required an all-day effort using stretchers and rope-haul systems to lift Persic back to the plateau near Red Rock on Sept 10. He was carried down using a piggyback carry method with a body strap, reaching Timpohon Gate by 7pm that evening.
One moment that struck Persic deeply was being carried by a porter estimated to be about 15 years old. “I could feel each impact of his legs and knees, it broke my heart,” he wrote.
“Was it all worth it? I don’t know. Probably not. A broken body, and 40 people risking their lives to save one. But still, I’ve seen the very best of humanity showing up these days: generosity, kindness, and care,” Persic reflected.
Persic was treated for broken ribs and a leg injury at a private hospital before being discharged on Sept 18. His unauthorised trek resulted in a RM25,000 fine from Sabah Parks for trespassing without a permit.
