South Korean tourist lost in forest lived on fruits

KUANTAN: The South Korean national who went missing at Berjaya Hills Resort survived for nearly four days by eating fruits he picked in the wild.

Bentong police chief Supt Mohamad Mansor Mohd Nor said Kim Chae-won, 71, was found by the search and rescue team at about 3pm yesterday.

“He was found near a stream and appeared very weak.

“Scattered around him were the leftovers of the fruits that he had gathered and eaten.

“Team members with orang asli volunteers made a makeshift stretcher using poles and T-shirts to carry him out,” said Supt Mohamad Mansor.

Kim was then taken by ambulance to Bentong Hospital and is under observation.

Police, firemen and their K9 units, together with the orang asli volunteers and the resort’s security personnel, had been searching for Kim since his disappearance on Friday.

“An orang asli spotted pieces of fruit on the ground and suspected that they were eaten by Kim because of the bite marks on them,” he said.

“The orang asli volunteers alerted the team and they found footprints nearby that eventually led them to Kim.”