Two men who lost their way while hiking in the forest at Youth Park near the Botanical Gardens in George Town were found safe on 3 October. The fire and rescue department said the pair were located at 7.42pm, about two kilometres from the foot of the hill, Free Malaysia Today reported.
The hikers were named as Hakim Razali and Faiz Abdul Wahab, both 25. Eight firefighters and three policemen conducted the search, which was based on the location the two men shared with rescuers while they waited in the forest.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations John Sagun Francis said the department received an emergency call at 6.11pm and sent eight firefighters from the Bagan Jermal Fire and Rescue Station to the scene, according to New Straits Times. The search ran on the live location the victims sent through WhatsApp, with three police officers assisting the firefighters on the ground.
The two men were escorted down to the foothill and handed over to the police for further action, and the operation ended at 7.50pm. From the first call at 6.11pm to the moment they were found, 91 minutes passed.
Youth Park, also called Taman Belia, covers the hills beside the Penang Botanical Gardens and links to longer trails that climb into the forested interior. Walkers on those routes move between shaded valleys and ridges where paths cross without clear signposts, and the trails are easy to leave by mistake in low light or after rain. A location pin sent from a phone gives rescuers coordinates instead of a description, and both the search on 3 October and an earlier one in Batu Ferringhi were planned around pins the hikers sent themselves.
Rescuers on the island have reached lost walkers the same way before. In September last year, an Australian couple, Patrick Philippe Chung, 44, and Patricia Wong, 45, got lost near Freedom Hill in Batu Ferringhi and were found safe the same evening after sending firefighters their location through WhatsApp, Bernama noted. Six firefighters from the same Bagan Jermal station were deployed, a member of the public helped bring the pair down, and the operation ended at 6.41pm.
