Australian missing at Mulu National Park found safe

MIRI: Australian engineer Andrew James Gaskell who went missing at the Mulu National Park for 12 days was found safe at 12.30pm today.
Miri Fire and Rescue Department Air Unit deputy superintendent Ahmad Fissol Ismail said the 25-year-old man appeared weak when he was rescued by the authority but was still able to talk.
"There were blisters on his feet and traces of (his) socks sticking to skin, probably because he had been walking for too long," he told reporters at the Miri Fire and Rescue Department air base here.
Meanwhile, Miri Fire and Rescue Department chief Law Poh Kong said the victim was found in the Hidden Valley located about 5km from Mulu Airport where he was winched aboard the department's helicopter and brought to the airport.
He said paramedics gave him initial treatment before he was flown to the Miri Airport where he arrived at 2.35pm and from there was sent to the Miri Hospital.
Meanwhile, Marudi police chief DSP Gabriel Risut told Bernama that initial investigations revealed that there were no criminal elements in the incident.
He said the victim went to the national park on Oct 20 without a guide, when in fact it is a requirement to be accompanied by someone who is familiar with the geographical features of Mulu, where the world famous Mulu Caves are located.
Gabriel said this was not the first time the victim went to a national park without a guide as he had been to Bako National Park in Kuching alone before this.
"Based on an interview with an acquaintance of his in Kuching, the victim had once spent a night in a cave at the Bako National Park because he sustained an injury," he added. — Bernama