Ten briefly missing mountain bikers found

Sidenreng Rappang (Sidrap) Military District Command found on Monday 10 mountain bikers reported missing during a cross-country ride from Sidrap to Barru regency in South Sulawesi on Sunday.

The 10 cyclists, most of whom were aged between 45 and 65, were found on Mount Kere. Sidrap district chief Andi Syarifuddin, 48, and a 10-year-old boy were among the group.

One of the bikers, identified as M. Abduh, 65, was taken to Belokka Hospital for treatment by a team led by Maj. A. Parenrengi. The rest were given meals by local residents.

The 10 cyclists, who are members of the Pangkajene Sidrap Cycling Club (PSCC), were reported missing on Monday after one of them texted a friend for help. They were weak, lost and had not eaten since Sunday.

When reached for confirmation on Monday, Parepare District Military Commander Lt. Col. Afridas said his command had coordinated with the Sidrap Military Command and mobilized three teams to search for the missing cyclists.

“We are searching around the border between Sidrap and Barru regencies because that is where they are believed to have gone missing,” said Afridas, who led the search.

When contacted separately on Monday, PSCC member Andi Onda said he had received a text message from Andi Syarifuddin informing him that they were lost.

“Syarifuddin texted me this morning, saying, ‘We’re exhausted and lost’. It hadn’t occurred to me that they were lost as I thought they had finished yesterday,” said Onda, who had initially planned to join them.

The cyclists traveled along a hilly and forested trail stretching around 40 kilometers. They started at around 7 a.m. local time. Under normal conditions, they should have arrived back at 2 p.m. at the latest.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/03/06/ten-briefly-missing-mountain-bikers-found.html