KUALA NERUS: The police have confirmed that the seven hikers, reported missing this morning while trekking Bukit Maras, have been safely rescued.
Kuala Terengganu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor said that the male hikers, aged 16 to 19, were successfully rescued, and arrived at the base of the hill at 1pm.
The group comprised Terengganu residents, Ahmad Asyraf Mohd Rohisham, Ahmad Aqil Amisyar Kamal, Muhammad Alif Afza, Muhammad Ashraf Al Imran Mohamad Puzi and Abdullah Ilyas Mohd Azhar, with Nabil Nawi from Johor.
"The police were alerted that the hikers were lost while attempting to return from their hike.
"Following the report, a rescue team was dispatched, and villagers informed us that the climbers had not yet descended from the hill," Azli said.
The police then coordinated with the Kuala Nerus Fire and Rescue Station to aid in the search, with support also provided by local villagers.
He added that the rescue team located all the hikers at 12.30pm after receiving a call from one of them, who reported having rediscovered the original climbing route.
"Some of the hikers needed assistance to descend, due to leg cramps," Azli said.
Earlier, it was reported that the seven hikers got lost while trekking in the area.
Azli said that the police received a report about the incident at 11.12am from an unknown number, which indicated that a group of hikers was lost while climbing the hill.
He added that at 11.26am, the search team attempted to call the number again and managed to communicate with the caller, who provided their location to facilitate the search and rescue operations.