KUANTAN, June 7 — An American tourist who was reported missing while hiking on Pulau Tioman was found safe last night after he shared his real-time location via mobile phone with rescue teams.

Rompin district police chief Supt Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi said police received information about the missing man at about 5.30pm yesterday after he failed to return to his resort accommodation following an activity along the old Kampung Tekek-Kampung Juara trail.

“The victim was found at 8.33pm in the Bukit Parang forest area, Kampung Tekek, in a safe condition and without any injuries. He was taken out of the forest area for further checks,” he said in a statement today, without naming the victim.

He said the trail has many junctions and side paths and is no longer used as a main route by locals. 

“At present, the trail is often used by tourists as a hiking and recreational route. Investigations found that the victim got lost after taking the wrong branch of the path, which caused him to be unable to exit the hilly forest area,” he said.

Sharif Shai said the search operation was carried out by the Tioman police station with assistance from the Wildlife and National Parks Department team on Pulau Tioman.

He advised tourists engaging in hiking or recreational activities in forested areas to make adequate preparations, inform relevant parties of their movements, and ensure communication devices are in good working order to avoid untoward incidents. — Bernama

KUANTAN, June 12 — Thick black smoke was seen billowing into the sky after a fire broke out at a waste management facility in the Gebeng industrial area here early today.

The Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at about 6am before firefighters from the Gebeng and Kuantan stations were dispatched to the scene, the New Straits Times reported.

Pahang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Mohd Salahuddin Isa confirmed the incident and said efforts were underway to bring the blaze under control.

He said no casualties have been reported so far.

Videos of the fire, captured by motorists travelling to work in the industrial area, have since circulated widely on social media.

MARANG, June 4 — A Rohingya man pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court here today to a charge of dangerous driving causing the death of a motorcyclist on Jalan Kuala Terengganu-Kuantan, near Rusila here, last week.

Shah Dullah Abul Hashim, 20, made the plea after the charge was read out to him before Magistrate Nur Athirah Hashim.

The unemployed man was charged with driving a Proton Saga car dangerously, causing an accident with a Yamaha RXZ motorcycle and the death of Saifullah Isyraf Shamsudin, 27.

The act was allegedly committed at Kilometre 12.5 of Jalan Kuala Terengganu-Kuantan near Kampung Rusila here at 6 pm on May 27.

He was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333/87), which provides imprisonment of between five and 10 years and a fine of between RM20,000 and RM50,000, upon conviction.

The court granted Shah Dullah bail of RM6,000 with one surety, ordered him to report to the nearest police station every month, and set July 8 for mention. — Bernama

DUNGUN, June 6 — A woman who suffered a severed left leg in an accident at Kilometre 341.5 of the East Coast Expressway 2 (LPT2) near the Paka Rest and Service Area (R&R) here yesterday died while receiving treatment at Dungun Hospital last night.

Dungun Acting Police Chief DSP Jumaidy Bah Chong Weh said police received a report that Maziah Che Hassan, 57, died at 7.15pm.

She was travelling in a Proton X70 sport utility vehicle (SUV) with four other individuals when the accident occurred at 5.15pm while they were heading towards Kuantan, Pahang, after attending a wedding ceremony in Kuala Berang, Hulu Terengganu.

“The driver is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to lose control while negotiating a bend before crashing into a road barrier.

“As a result of the impact, the vehicle spun several times and became lodged on the road barrier,” he said in a statement today.

He said the driver and three other passengers, who were also injured, were taken to Dungun Hospital for treatment and the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. — Bernama

KUANTAN, June 14 — The Pahang Department of Environment (DOE) said no acid contamination had been detected in Sungai Cherating following a hydrochloric acid spill from an overturned tanker near the Cherating Bridge yesterday.

The department said the accident site was about 100 metres from the river.

Water samples taken at three locations within the surrounding mangrove area recorded a normal pH level of six.

“Meanwhile, pH monitoring using YSI equipment in Sungai Cherating recorded a reading of 9.4, indicating that no acid contamination had occurred in the river,” the DOE said in a statement today.

DOE enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of the accident involving a tanker carrying hydrochloric acid at about 8.45am yesterday to assess any potential environmental impact.

Initial investigations found that the tanker, which had been transporting nearly 25 tonnes of hydrochloric acid from Pasir Gudang in Johor to Kemaman in Terengganu, had overturned.

“The Fire and Rescue Department successfully sealed the air vent at the rear of the tank to prevent a larger spill.

“An estimated 1,000 litres of the chemical was released and subsequently neutralised using soda ash, with no further leakage detected,” the statement said.

The DOE said any release of pollutants found to be in breach of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 would be thoroughly investigated, with enforcement action taken where necessary.

It added that regular monitoring would continue at the site and surrounding areas to ensure there were no delayed environmental effects and that clean-up measures were fully implemented.

KUANTAN, June 19 — Seven individuals, including a driver and three media officers to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, were involved in a three-vehicle accident at Kilometer 144.2 of the East Coast Expressway (LPT) near Maran early this morning.

Maran District Police Chief Supt Wong Kim Wai said preliminary investigations revealed that the accident occurred around 1:00 am when a Foton lorry allegedly changed lanes abruptly causing the driver of a Toyota Fortuner heading towards Kuala Lumpur to lose control when trying to avoid but and resulting in a collision with the right side of the lorry.

“Another vehicle, a Hicom lorry, which was behind the two vehicles, tried to avoid the accident but lost control before crashing into the road divider,” he said in a statement today.

As a result of the accident, he said seven people traveling in the three vehicles sustained minor injuries and were sent to the Jengka Hospital for treatment.

Wong added that the incident is being investigated under Rule 6 (1) of the Road Traffic Rules 1959.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid, through a Facebook post, informed that all those involved in the accident were on their way back after attending the 2026 Pahang State Huffaz Gathering at Yayasan Pahang here last night.

He also expressed his gratitude to Allah SWT that all of them were safe and did not suffer serious injuries.

“To everyone currently on duty, please take good care of yourselves. Get enough rest, drive carefully, and always prioritise safety no matter how busy you are.

“May those involved make a full and speedy recovery, and may we all always be protected by Allah SWT wherever we are,” he said. — Bernama