Climber lost on Mt. Slamet

PURWOKERTO, Central Java: More climbers joined yesterday the search and rescue team here looking for a lone climber who has not returned from setting out to climb Mount Slamet.

Abdul Ashar, 23, a technical university student from Jakarta began a solo climb of the 3,428 meter volcano last Friday and has not been heard of since.

A search team comprising six climbers began looking for him on Wednesday but after two days returned without result.

A team of climbers from surrounding towns arrived yesterday on the eastern side of the mountain, where Abdul is believed to have begun his climb, to join the search.

Local rescue official Suprihadi Puji cited witnesses as saying that Abdul was carrying provisions in a small knapsack.

"But they would only have sustained him for two, or at the most three days," he said adding that "for sure he's now lost and out of supplies."

The search yesterday was hampered by inclement weather. (45)