Missing hikers found unhurt

CORRECTION: A story in Tuesday’s paper (Page A5) quoted Joseph Mohanlal, a director of Hikers Inc, commenting on an incident in which two members of a group hike to La Laja waterfall went missing on Sunday. However, Hikers Inc was not the organiser of the hike in question. Our apologies to Hikers Inc for failing to make that clear in the story.

Two hikers who were reported missing on Sunday afternoon during a trek to La Laja Falls in the Heights of Guanapo were found unhurt yesterday morning. Aleeyah Mohammed, 18, of El Socorro, and Arshad Mohammed, 18, (no relation) of Kelly Village, Caroni, were reported missing during a headcount taken during the hike. 

Friends said Aleeyah and Arshad were part of a group of 40 people who were with a hiking club that day. A report said around 2.45 pm, they walked into a forested area when Aleeyah and Arshad got separated from the group. Relatives and friends immediately made online requests for volunteers and began searching for them. 

A report was made to the Arima police and a search party was organised by officers from the Defence Force’s army camp in Cumuto under Cpl Jones. Northern Division Task Force police and North Eastern Division officers, under Cpl Bharath, also joined the search and around 1 am the missing hikers were found unharmed.

Members of the Muslim community who were alerted also prayed for their safe return and also joined the search. Aleeyah and Arshad were taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex at Mt Hope where they were examined and discharged.

Director of Hikers Inc Joseph Mohanlal said there could be many reasons why Aleeyah and Arshad got lost. He added: “The tour is supposed to come out as a group. I don’t know if some of them were walking fast or slow. Some people want to stay in the back and they probably split up along the lines or got distracted in a conversation.