Two missing men found safe after getting lost in search for ‘sabong’ leaves

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Two local men, reported missing while searching for ‘sambong’ leaves in a forest near Taman Berlian Stabil yesterday (Sept 22), have been found safe and sound this morning.

(Sambong is an aromatic shrub used in traditional medicine for treating fever, cough, headache, boils, abdominal pain and gaseous distention.)

A spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said that the men, aged 24 and 37, managed to find their way out of the forest at 7.20 am.

Both men, from Kampung Melaban, exited via the Wisma SALCRA back road, about 3km from where they had gone missing.

With their safe return, the search and rescue (SAR) operation ended at 7.50 am.

Yesterday, the men had gone into the forest on foot after parking their motorcycle nearby.

When they failed to find their way out, they sent their last known location via WhatsApp before losing contact with their families.

Firefighters from the Kota Samarahan station were dispatched to the scene to start the search operation after receiving a distress call at 3.37 pm.