MIRI: A badly injured 25-year-old Japanese researcher is waiting to be airlifted from Camp 4 of Mt Mulu at Mulu National Park.
Akihiro Noda hurt himself while ascending the famous mountain and is suspected to have suffered a lumbar spine fracture and bruises on his ribs. He is now unable to move.
The incident took place at around 9.00pm on Saturday, the third day of the climb. The undergraduate student from Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan was climbing the mountain with another Japanese researcher and three porters.
State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) assistant director Tiong Ling Hii confirmed the incident. He said that the Marudi Bomba received a call at around 1.22pm on Sunday (Dec 16) from a Mulu National Park official.
“The victim is stranded at Camp 4 of Mt Mulu, 1,820m above sea level, and a helicopter is needed to bring him down,” said Tiong.
He said as at 10am yesterday, an officer from the special Bomba Air Unit (Paskub) was with the victim at the camp to facilitate the winching process.
However, the Miri Bomba Air Unit which arrived at Mulu at 3.30pm yesterday had to delay the rescue operations because of poor visibility due to thick fog.
“The air unit will stay overnight in Mulu and the rescue operation will continue today morning if the weather permits,” added Tiong.
Mt Mulu, a sandstone and shale mountain, is a popular tourist attraction located 100kms away from Miri town. At 2,376m high, it is the second highest mountain in Sarawak after Mt Murud (2,423m high).
Climbing the mountain is one of the most challenging activities. It usually takes about three to four days to reach the summit of Mt Mulu.
