Seven Mount Lawu climbers found alive

The Jakarta Post, | Wed, July 29 2015


A search and rescue team has found seven climbers,who were earlier reported missing in Mt. Lawu, Central Java, in a safe condition on Wednesday.

Agus Maryono from Semarang National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said that the climbers were found resting at Sendang Drajat, 1 kilometer below the mountain summit.

“The team found them safe and sound at around 4:30 p.m.,” Agus said.

The climbers descended the mountain via the Cemorosewu climbing trail in Magetan. The rescue team was expected to arrive at Cemorosewu climbing post at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

Naniwati, mother of Rizal, one of the climbers, said that she was relieved and happy with the news. She also said that she was worried about her son's condition due to the bad weather and their minimal food supplies.

“I am very happy to hear the news. Thank God our children are still alive. I want to thank all the volunteers and the search and rescue team who have made their best efforts to find them,” said Naniwati at Cemoro Kandang climbing post on Wednesday afternoon.

Karanganyar Disaster Mitigation Agency head Nugroho said that according to the report from the search as rescue team, it was suspected that the climbers had got lost but later found their way back to the right track before the rescue team finally discovered them.

“Previously, the rescue team spent a lot of time searching for the climbers throughout Sendang Drajat and the surrounding areas, but to no avail,” Nugroho explained.



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