Seven climbers missing on Mt. Ciremai

|  Sun, 05/24/2009 5:37 PM  |  National

A search and rescue team is trying to determine the whereabouts of seven residents who have gone missing during their climb of Mt. Ciremai, West Java, tempointeraktif.com has reported.

Head of Mt. Ciremai National Park Muhtadin Nafari said Sunday that the residents had gone missing last night after using normal visitors’ tickets to enter the park and then climbing the mountain.

“They bought tickets for setting up a camp in the park. But they climbed up the mountain via the Palutungan channel, not the regular climbing route. They would have been accompanied by guides if they had bought the special tickets for climbing,” Muhtadin said.

He said two of the seven missing residents had fallen down a ravine and were suffering from injuries.

“We were last in touch with the climbers yesterday but have not heard from them since,” he said.

The search and rescue team has dispatched three groups, who may have difficulty tracking the climbers due to the irregular route they took to get to the top of the mountain. (ewd)

Rescue team finds missing climbers

Jakarta   |  Mon, 05/25/2009 3:46 PM  |  National

A search and rescue team is evacuating the missing Mt. Ciremai climbers after locating them in a cave five hours away from the mountain base, Antara state news agency reported Monday.

The climbers were found in Walet Cave on Mt. Ciremai, West Java, in a weak condition with no food. One was injured after having fallen down a ravine.

Previously on Sunday, the team found the two climbers who had gone down the mountain to get help.

“They led us to the location of the rest of the climbers,” Chaidir Agam, who sent out the search team, said.

The seven climbers, who took an irregular climbing route up the mountain, were reported missing on Sunday.

They are identified as Didi Kusmana, Iwan, Widhi, Darso, Abdul Hatni and Gembong, and the guide Fredi.

Search and rescue teams from the National Park guard, the military, the police and others were sent out to locate the whereabouts of the climbers. (adh)

Two climbers rescued, five still missing
Nana Rukmana

The Jakarta Post ,  Cirebon, West Java   |  Tue, 05/26/2009 12:35 PM  |  The Archipelago

A search and rescue team found Monday two of seven climbers lost on Mount Ciremai, Kuningan regency, West Java, and are still searching for the remaining five climbers.
SAR team member Avo Juhartono said tracks of the five missing climbers had been found.
He added the two rescued climbers, Widi, 35, a resident of the Mester housing complex in Karangsatria, Bekasi, and Fredy, 27, a resident of Cupang village in Gempol, Cirebon, were found at about 7 a.m. at Pesanggrahan block, 2.400 meters above sea level on West Java's highest mountain.
"The two have been evacuated and arrived at the team's post in Palutungan at 3 p.m. They are now being treated at Kuningan General Hospital," said Avo, who is also chairman of the Ciremai Conservation Working Group.
He added the testimonies of the rescued climbers had led the SAR to find the tracks of the remaining five climbers.
"We believe they're still lost in the area between the edelweiss forest and the natural forest, at an elevation of 2,400 meters."
The five climbers have been identified as Gembong, 37, Darso 36, Iwan, 35, Didi 28, and Hatmi, 33, all residents of Bekasi.
"We're optimistic about finding them soon," Avo said.
He admitted the rescue of the first two climbers had been difficult and took a long time due to bad weather and difficult terrain.
"We had heavy rains and thick clouds during the rescue attempt, which started on Saturday. We couldn't work smoothly," he said.
The SAR team comprises 60 personnel from the National Search and Rescue Team, the military, the police, the Ciremai National Park, and several organizations.
Avo said the seven climbers began their hike on Friday at about 2 p.m.
He said Sunardi, a driver who had brought the climbers to the post, received a phone call from one of the climbers to say they were lost.
"The climbers asked Sunardi to get help."

All missing Mt. Ciremai climbers found alive

Jakarta   |  Thu, 05/28/2009 1:30 PM  |  National

A search and rescue team found Thursday the last five of seven climbers who had gone missing on Mt. Ciremai in Kuningan regency, West Java.

A member of the team told kompas.com that the climbers were found in Cigowong, an area on the mountain located at 1,700 meters above sea level.

“They are weak. They have not eaten or drunk for five days,” he said.

At the time of writing, the team was evacuating the victims to 45 Hospital in Kuningan.

The five climbers have been identified as Gembong, 37, Darso, 36, Iwan, 35, Didi, 28 and Hatmi, 33, all residents of Bekasi.

On Monday, two of the seven climbers were found in the Pesanggrahan block, 2,400 meters above sea level on the highest mountain in West Java.

The climbers began trekking last Friday. Their troubles began when one of them got separated from the rest and got lost.

The SAR team, comprising 60 personnel from the National Search and Rescue Team, the military, the police, Ciremai National Park officials and several other organizations, was immediately deployed to search for them. (dre)

Bad weather impedes search for climbers

Wed, 05/27/2009 1:40 PM  |  The Archipelago

KUNINGAN, West Java: Search and rescue workers have yet to locate five of the seven climbers missing around Mt. Ciremai, Kuningan regency, as of Tuesday afternoon.
SAR team member Avo Juhartono said the team was forced to postpone search efforts during the fourth day of the operation due to extreme weather.
"We will postpone the search until the weather returns to normal. We had trouble searching due to heavy rain and thick fog covering Mt. Ciremai. It is impossible for the team to work in these conditions, the mountain terrain is very tough," said Avo.
Based on their evaluation, the SAR team believes the five missing climbers are located in the Pasangrahan and Sanggabuana areas, between 2,400 meters and 2,700 meters above sea level. - JP

One dies in mountain climbing

Wed, 06/04/2008 10:14 AM  |  The Archipelago

MAKASSAR: One student has died and four others are in a critical condition after encountering severe weather conditions on Mt. Bawakaraeng in Gowa regency, South Sulawesi.
Aditya Ahmad was part of a group of 12 climbers from Indonesian Muslim University's (UMI) School of Engineering in Makassar. He is believed to have died of hypothermia.
His body was taken to Ibnu Sinna Hospital in Makassar on Sunday for a postmortem, before being sent to Barru regency for burial. His parents, along with several other relatives and friends, had received the news and were waiting at the hospital.
The climbers reportedly left for Mt. Bawakaraeng seven days earlier as part of training for new members of the school's environmental conservation group, Cakrabuana.
When they reached an altitude of about 2,500 meters above sea level, the weather worsened and became extremely cold. Ahmad, who had an existing typhus condition and appendix problems, fell sick and died.
The 11 others are reportedly in poor health. As of Monday, they were still in Lembanna village on the slopes of Mt. Bawakaraeng, 80 kilometers south of Makassar, and had not yet been evacuated.
"They are undergoing medical treatment and will only be evacuated to Makassar when their condition improves," Andi Mula Tawe, coordinator of the search and rescue team, said Monday.
UMI vice rector Mas'ud Sar said the university was investigating the case and waiting for the medical reports as well as a detailed chronology from the survivors.
"We will not hesitate to hand out academic sanctions should we find evidence of bad judgment in the climbing procedure, much less willful negligence in the accident," Mas'ud said.
Ahmad's parents criticized the events which led to their son's death, saying they were never officially asked by the university for permission for Ahmad to go on the expedition.
Mt. Bawakaraeng has claimed several lives in recent years. Seven climbers died there in the 1990s, and the last reported fatality was in 2004. -- JP