
RDC proves safety standards after french duo rescued from off-trail detour
Published on: Tue, Apr 29, 2025
By: Jessie Lee Text Size: The rescued french duo KOTA KINABALU: The Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sepilok has reaffirmed its strong safety protocols and swift emergency response after two French tourists, who strayed off a marked trail, were safely rescued with coordinated support from local authorities. RDC Manager Bernadette Joeman said the incident underscores the importance of adhering to designated paths, which are clearly marked and regularly maintained to ensure a safe visitor experience. 'Our trails are wide, well-kept, and equipped with directional markers and maps to help visitors navigate confidently,' she said, stressing that the centre prioritises tourist safety as part of its environmental education mission. The tourists, Santarelli Antoine Pierre and Girodet Charlene, had gone off-trail along the Mangrove Trail in the Kabili-Sepilok Forest on Monday. A coincidental landline outage prompted them to contact emergency services directly. RDC quickly verified their permits and activated a response involving the fire department, police, and Sandakan District Forest Office. Rangers located the pair and escorted them to the Sepilok Laut Reception Centre, where Bernadette personally ensured their wellbeing. 'They were safe and thankful,' she said, adding that the centre's efficient system worked exactly as intended. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Malaysian launches book on 35,000km cycling journey across Asia
Fifteen years ago, adventurer Zahariz Khuzaimah, 45, made headlines with his mission to cycle in different continents of the world. He was on the road for nearly a decade, five of those spent cycling, covering close to 35,000km. Now, the globe-trotting traveller has released his debut book, Dengan Basikal Aku Merentas Benua Asia , which was launched on June 29 in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Though Zahariz has shared much of his journey on his YouTube channel, he felt a book would give him the space to dive deeper into his experiences and emotions. Years on the road have given Zahariz a deeper understanding of diverse cultures, people and landscapes across Asia. Photos: Instagram/Zahariz Khuraimah 'As I grow older, my memories are starting to fade slowly, so while they are still vivid, it's better to share all my travel stories now before they slip away. 'Since the book is self-published, I handled everything – from writing and design to publishing. It was a long, tedious process which started in early January, but I enjoyed every moment of it. I chose to publish it myself because the story is deeply personal, and I wanted it told in my own tone and style,' says Zahariz. Written in Bahasa Malaysia, the 320-page book includes 80 pages of photographs from his first year on the road. It chronicles his 7,000km cycling journey from Sichuan province in China, across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts, Kazakh Steppe and Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan. 'The book has 14 chapters based on the places I travelled through. Writing was easy because I kept a personal diary almost every day. I could recall memories through my old journals and the photos and videos I took,' he shares. The book includes two near-death experiences – one in the Tibetan Plateau and another while crossing the Taklamakan Desert. Zahariz also introduces readers to the fascinating people he met on the road, including an American who spent nearly 40 years cycling around the world. Living his dream A graphic design graduate from New Zealand's Wanganui School of Design, Zahariz is among the few Malaysians who dared to chase his dreams. Hailing from Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, he grew up with a deep desire to travel the world – a dream he fulfilled by living over a decade as a modern-day nomad. In 2010, Zahariz quit his job as a university lecturer to embark on a cycling expedition that he had been putting off for years. He bought a ticket to Chengdu in Sichuan province, China and began pedalling across hills and valleys throughout Asia for a year, including Kyrgyzstan. After that, he also spent time cycling in Russia, Norway and Iceland. In 2012, he began filming a travelogue, Dengan Basikal Aku Menjelajah , without a camera crew. Four seasons aired on terrestrial TV from 2017 to 2020. From surviving harsh deserts to bonding with nomadic communities, Zahariz's (right) travels taught him resilience and simplicity. While he hasn't covered every corner of the globe, Zahariz's immersive, culture-rich experiences distinguish him from the average tourist. His journey is not just about his travels – it's about living fully, intentionally and on his own terms. 'The message I want to convey from this book to my readers is simple - accept everything that comes in life, both the good and the bad. Keep moving in life, so you will always feel fresh like flowing water in a river. 'If you don't move and live a static life, you will become 'murky', like still water in a pond. Live simply, and life will feel so light, so easy. 'That's what I've learned from living a nomadic life,' says Zahariz, who clinched the 2013 BMW Shorties for Crossing The Arctic , which documented his journey across the Arctic region. Since the pandemic, he's been back in Malaysia, where he has been working on YouTube content, shooting videos, hosting a few local travelogues like Aroma Puncak Borneo (TV Sarawak), Nomad and Amazing Journey (TV Okey), and organising private tours to Kyrgyzstan. Finding clarity Zahariz admits that writing the book wasn't easy, as it stirred many memories. 'Some stories were too personal to include,' he says. 'Some involved friends who passed away during their journeys,' he says, adding that he asked permission from their families before mentioning them. One such story is about a German traveller he grew close to while being stranded for nearly two weeks in Urumqi, China. Zahariz's journey was a path of personal growth, cultural immersion and life-changing lessons. 'We bonded during that time, but a year after returning home from his world travels, he died by suicide in Berlin due to depression,' says Zahariz. The book also contains some of Zahariz's unforgettable memories. For him, it's a reflection of how far he's come – from his early cycling days' struggles to finding inner strength. 'It reminds me of the feeling when I almost gave up, when I sat alone at the road side in the mountains of Sichuan, crying like a kid as the journey was too difficult for me. At one point, I almost threw my bicycle and all my belongings off a cliff. From there, I became strong slowly, both physically and mentally. 'Another time, a restaurant owner offered me her very young daughter's hand in marriage! These memories still make me smile,' explains the father of two. After over a decade on the road, Zahariz has found clarity in his life. He finds peace in living with less and thinking with more intention. 'After so long living on the road, I've come to prefer a simple life – simple thoughts, simple needs. The less I possess, the lighter I feel.' Each place left its mark, but his bond with the Kyrgyz people stood out. 'I lived there the longest, grew close to the people, adapted to their way of life, and learned their language. Their nomadic culture is incredibly unique – and it felt like home,' says Zahariz, who plans to release a series of travel books in the near future. Does this book reveal how he fell in love with a Kyrgyz girl and got married? Well... you'll have to read it to find out.
.jpg&w=3840&q=100)

Daily Express
a day ago
- Daily Express
Lahad Datu coastal areas woo European travellers
Published on: Tuesday, August 12, 2025 Published on: Tue, Aug 12, 2025 By: Azmie Lim Text Size: The coastal attractions of Lahad Datu are starting to gain interest from European travellers who once came mainly for its forests and wildlife. LAHAD DATU: The coastal attractions of Lahad Datu are starting to gain interest from European travellers who once came mainly for its forests and wildlife. Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Danum Valley have long been the main stops, but snorkelling and island visits are now seeing a rise in demand. Advertisement District Officer Firuz Idzualdeen Mohd Dzul said stronger security, particularly patrols by Esscom, has given visitors the confidence to explore maritime spots that were once overlooked. 'This change in interest, especially from Europeans, is encouraging. In the past, they preferred forest areas, perhaps because they were seen as safer,' he said. Lahad Datu's waters include Pulau Tabawan, the Blue Ring Reef and coral habitats that remain intact and undamaged. Tour operators Robin Demowal and Sabar Jiran said more tourists are now arriving from countries such as Germany, Austria, Italy and Australia. They emphasised that visitors who were previously cautious are now taking boat trips and enjoying the coastline after seeing the security presence for themselves. Both operators hope the government, through relevant agencies, will expand promotion of Lahad Datu as a key marine tourism destination in Sabah. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia


New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Child dies in Italy as European heatwave sets records and sparks wildfires
LAS MÉDULAS, Spain: A young boy died of heatstroke in Italy while wildfires threatened a Unesco site in Spain and French cities saw record temperatures, as a heatwave baked Europe on Monday. Many towns and cities in France, Italy and the Balkans were put on red alert due to the heat. Wildfires fanned by strong winds forced the evacuations of thousands of people throughout the continent and threatened popular tourist sites in Turkiye and Spain. The four-year-old Romanian boy who died in Italy succumbed days after being found unconscious in his family's car on the island of Sardinia. The news came as Italy's health ministry issued a red alert warning for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence. Some 11 Italian cities are on red alert for Tuesday, and 16 cities on Wednesday. Red alerts were also announced in southern France and on the Adriatic and Ionian coasts in the Balkans. "The heatwave currently affecting France, Spain, and the Balkan countries is not surprising. It is driven by a persistent heat dome over Europe," Akshay Deoras, a research scientist at the meteorology department in Britain's University of Reading, told AFP. "Heatwaves don't roar like storms – they creep in quietly, but can be just as deadly." A blaze, which broke out on Sunday, damaged a Unesco World Heritage-listed Roman-era mining site at Les Medulas in northwestern Spain – famed for its striking red landscape – and prompted hundreds of residents to evacuate. High temperatures and winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) created "many difficulties" for firefighters struggling to contain the wildfire, said Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones, the Castile and Leon regional environment minister. "We will not allow people to return until safety in their communities is absolutely guaranteed," he told reporters, estimating that about 700 people had been displaced. Spain has been in the grip of a heatwave for the past week, with temperatures nearing 40C in many areas and fuelling wildfires. In the southern tourist town of Tarifa, more than 2,000 people were evacuated, some from hotels and beaches, after a fire that had been subdued on Friday flared up again, with more than 100 firefighters battling the flames. In neighbouring Portugal, firefighters were battling three large wildfires in the centre and north of the country, while Morocco is sending two aircraft to help fight the fires after two Portuguese planes broke down. In Italy, around 190 firefighters and the army were tackling a wildfire on Mount Vesuvius that caused the closure of the national park to tourists. People were evacuated from dozens of homes in the Balkans as firefighters battled blazes in Albania, Montenegro and Croatia, where red alerts were announced. In Albania, hundreds of firefighters and soldiers had subdued most of the nearly 40 fires that flared up in the last 24 hours, according to the defence ministry, but more than a dozen were still active. Since the start of July, nearly 34,000 hectares (84,000 acres) have been scorched nationwide, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Police allege that many of the blazes were deliberately lit, with more than 20 people arrested in recent weeks. Just outside the capital of neighbouring Montenegro, where temperatures soared to 40C, fire crews managed to save dozens of homes when a blaze broke out in inaccessible terrain on Monday. In Croatia, around 150 firefighters also spent the night defending homes from a blaze near the port city of Split. In the northwestern Turkish province of Canakkale, more than 2,000 people were evacuated and 77 people received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation after several fires broke out around the tourist village of Guzelyali, authorities said. Several homes and cars caught ablaze, according to images shown on Turkish media, while more than 760 firefighters, 10 aeroplanes, nine helicopters and more than 200 vehicles were deployed to battle the flames. Turkiye had just experienced its hottest July since records began 55 years ago. Temperature records were broken in at least four weather stations in southern France, as the government called for vigilance. The southwestern city of Bordeaux hit a record 41.6C while all-time records were also broken at meteorological stations in Bergerac, Cognac and Saint Girons, according to the national weather service, Meteo France. The heatwave, the country's second this summer, began on Friday and was forecast to last possibly until August 19 or 20.