Family of missing S’porean cyclist in Ipoh still waiting for good news
Mr Abdul Samat Ismail was reported to have gone missing on Sunday (May 6) during the last leg of the 160km event, said organisers of the Perak Century Ride 2018 in an appeal posted on its Facebook page.
SINGAPORE — The 56-year-old Singaporean cyclist who went missing during a cycling event in Ipoh, Malaysia, has not been found some 48 hours after his disappearance, and his family is still awaiting news on the search.
Mr Abdul Samat Ismail was reported to have gone missing on Sunday (May 6) during the last leg of the 160km event, said organisers of the Perak Century Ride 2018 in an appeal posted on its Facebook page.
Mr Samat’s daughter, Ms Nurul Nadiah, told TODAY that her family is still waiting for updates on her father’s whereabouts.
“There’re still no updates, and (the authorities) are still searching for him,” said the 29-year-old.
Event organisers and the Royal Malaysia Police in Batu Gajah, Perak said in an update on Tuesday that the search for Mr Samat is ongoing.
Members of the police force, People’s Volunteer Corps, and two of Mr Samat’s friends, as well as residents from the nearby villages are assisting with the search.
Police K-9 units have also been deployed to help find the missing cyclist along the route to RTC Perak, a rest-stop area.
Ms Nadiah added that her father had left for Perak on Saturday morning for the cycling event, and that her last contact with him was in the evening of the same day, when he sent her a group photo of the race participants.
“On Sunday morning he didn’t text us, (and by) Sunday evening we got information that he was missing,” said Ms Nadiah.
“(The authorities) tried to track his phone signal with (Malaysian telco) Maxis but to no avail. As of now, we are just hoping to receive good news from the organiser.”
According to the organiser’s Facebook page, Mr Samat was last seen at around 1.45pm on Sunday near Water Station 4, which was about 24km from the finish line.
Ms Nadiah said her father had complained of leg cramps, and told his buddy to carry on.
“That was when his buddy last saw him. It was at the last water checkpoint,” said the housewife.
She added that the family also performed special prayers on Monday evening in a bid to find her father.
“(We are) very shocked and all of us are hoping for good news,” said Ms Nadiah.
Responding to queries from TODAY, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it is aware of the incident involving Mr Samat.
“Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is in touch with members of his cycling group and is working with the Malaysian authorities to try to locate him,” said a spokesperson.
“We are also in touch with his next-of-kin to render the necessary consular assistance.”
