DUNGUN: A 55-year-old man who went missing while searching for agarwood in the Bukit Bauk Forest Reserve near Kampung Serdang here was found safe on Wednesday (April 29) after enduring several days alone in the jungle.
Acting Dungun OCPD Deputy Supt Jumaidy Bah Chong Weh said Mohd Nawi Ismail was located at about 12.15pm by personnel from the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) at a hut deep inside the forest in Kampung Binjai.
He said the man was found exhausted after trekking about 2.3km from the point where he was reported missing on Friday (April 24).
"The victim, who did not suffer any injuries, was brought out of the forest by firefighters before being rushed to Hospital Dungun for a health check," he told reporters here.
He said Nawi, who had entered the forest with his younger brother and a friend, is believed to have lost his way while making his way out after searching for agarwood at about 8pm that day.
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On Tuesday (April 28), it was reported that a man had been missing since Friday after going into the forest in search of agarwood.
Dungun fire station operations commander Irwan Abd Rashid was quoted as saying that Nawi had set out at about 10am with his younger brother Surimi, 42, and friend Azman Abdul Wahab, 36.
Recounting his ordeal, Nawi said he became disoriented despite his familiarity with the forest, which he had explored for more than five years in search of agarwood.
He said he lost his bearings after becoming separated from his companions while crossing a small stream.
"While trying to find my way out, I seemed to be going in circles and returning to the same path.
"I also called out the azan several times and recited verses from the Quran in hopes of finding my way out," he said.
Nawi, a bachelor, said he faced tense moments when he encountered a bear on the fourth and fifth days lost in the forest and was nearly attacked.
"However, I managed to escape after the bear ran back into the forest," he said.
He said that he sustained himself by drinking water from roots and wild plants as he had no food supplies.
"This is my first experience, and I am deeply grateful for being given a longer life,” he added. – Bernama
