PETALING JAYA: A first-time hiker’s adventure turned into a harrowing ordeal when he got separated from his group and spent nearly 15 hours lost on Bukit Lagong, surviving the night alone by drinking muddy puddle water.
Muhammad Danial Zulkepli, 26, a nurse at the National Heart Institute (IJN), had joined two friends for a morning hike on Monday, with plans to complete the climb and return to work by 1pm.
ALSO READ: Man dies while hiking Gunung Keriang
However, things took a turn when he lost sight of his companions on the descent.
“I reached the peak around 11am. After Zuhur prayers, I tried to head back down. I was extremely thirsty, so I looked for a river to drink from but couldn’t find one.
“Around 3pm, I saw a puddle.
“Even though the water was murky and muddy, I had no choice but to drink it. I used leaves as a cup and collected rainwater from earlier that morning to drink,” he told Kosmo! after being found safe earlier this morning.
He added that he spent the night alone on the peak, sheltering under a near-collapsed roof structure.
“I shouted for help, but no one heard me. All I could think about was staying alive,” he said, admitting it was his first-ever hiking experience.
He said the incident was a major life lesson and advised the public to be fully prepared before hiking, especially in terms of water supply and route knowledge.
His brother, Muhammad Ikram Zulkepli, 29, said his younger brother had gone hiking with two friends yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said they received a distress call regarding the incident at around 6.08pm.
