SIBU – A 78-year-old woman who went missing after leaving for a garden in Rh. Philip Kayak Durin has been found safe following a joint search and rescue operation involving emergency agencies and local residents.
The woman was reported missing after she failed to return from the garden, prompting a search in the Durin area. Information about the incident was received by the Sibu district Civil Defence authorities from the Royal Malaysia Police at about 7.30am.
A search and rescue team was subsequently mobilised, involving four members of the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) Sibu, personnel from the Sibu Jaya Fire and Rescue Station, police officers, medical personnel and villagers.
The operation formally began at about 8.45am, with the participating teams coordinating their search across the surrounding area.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department’s operation report, the joint search team was divided into three groups. The teams used a fan-search method to cover the area and trace the woman’s whereabouts.
The search continued until 9.17am, when fire and rescue personnel located the woman about 700 metres from the last place where she had been seen.
She was found in a weak condition but was reported to be safe. Fire and rescue personnel, assisted by APM members and villagers, used a scoop stretcher to bring her out from the area.
The woman was then handed over to health personnel and taken to Sibu Hospital for further medical assessment and treatment. Her condition was subsequently reported to be stable.
The search and rescue operation was brought to an end later that morning. The Fire and Rescue Department reported that its control post was fully closed at 10.30am, while the Civil Defence authorities recorded the operation as ending at about 10.15am.
The incident brought together several agencies and community members in the search effort, including the Lanang police station, Sibu Jaya Fire and Rescue Station, Malaysian Civil Defence Force, Ministry of Health personnel and residents from the surrounding village community.
The operation also highlighted the role of local residents in supporting emergency personnel during searches in rural areas. Villagers assisted the responding teams as they worked to locate and evacuate the elderly woman.
The successful search ended concerns over her whereabouts after she failed to return from the garden. She was subsequently taken to hospital so that her condition could be assessed and appropriate treatment provided.
The operation involved coordination between law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel, civil defence members, healthcare workers and members of the local community.
