Six Jakarta climbers missing on Mount Semeru<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Rescue workers failed yesterday to find six
\nmountain climbers reported missing on Mount Semeru in East Java.<\/p>\n
A Search and Rescue (SAR) official at the West Poncokusumo
\nCommand Post, Waris, told The Jakarta Post that three SAR groups
\nswept the eastern part of the mountain but found no sign of the
\nclimbers from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The SAR groups were from the East Java Mobile Police Brigade,
\nthe Mahameru Group of Nature Lovers and the Malang regency.<\/p>\n
The climbers were last heard of on Tuesday when a member of
\nthe Mahameru SAR group, Nurwahyudi, intercepted a faint radio
\nsignal from one of them, who reported their position on the
\neastern part of the mountain.<\/p>\n
Nurwahyudi reported that one of the climbers was believed to
\nhave broken a leg.<\/p>\n
\"Hadi (one of the climbers) told me that three of the climbers
\nhad fallen into a ravine,\" Nurwahyudi was quoted by Antara as
\nsaying yesterday.<\/p>\n
Nurwahyudi said Hadi told him that the climbers were from the
\ncapital. He gave the names of four of them as Siswanto, Bambang,
\nRini and Rosa. The names of the others remains unknown.<\/p>\n
Nurwahyudi denied earlier reports that the climbers were
\nmembers of the Mapala Group of Nature Lovers from the University
\nof Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Head of the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park Sudarmadji
\nsaid yesterday the missing climbers had ignored danger warnings
\nand trespassed into areas temporarily out of bounds to
\nmountaineers.<\/p>\n
\"According to our on-duty officials at the Ranu Pane check
\npoint, the six climbers never reported their presence in the
\narea. They climbed Mount Semeru illegally because it had been
\ndeclared closed for climbing since Jan. 15,\" he told Antara in
\nMalang, East Java.<\/p>\n
Asked why the climbers could still enter the mountain area
\neven though it had been closed to the public, Sudarmadji said it
\nwas beyond the officials' capability to keep people out.<\/p>\n
\"The mountain is not barricaded with fences. Anybody can climb
\nit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that climbers could reach the summit from two sides of
\nthe mountain. \"They can start from Lumajang or from Malang,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
When asked about the truth of the intercepted radio signal,
\nSudarmadji said it needed to be verified.<\/p>\n
\"I'm still in doubt of the signal's accuracy as it is
\ndifficult to receive any radio signals from the mentioned
\nlocation.<\/p>\n
\"It is also impossible for them to have a large supply of
\nbatteries for the radio because they reportedly started climbing
\non Jan. 29.\"<\/p>\n
Mount Semeru, the highest peak in Java at 3,676 meters, was
\nclosed to climbers because of stormy and foggy weather.<\/p>\n
\"However, the mountain will probably be reopened in April when
\nthe weather is expected to return to normal,\" Sudarmadji said.
\n(imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/six-jakarta-climbers-missing-on-mount-semeru-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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