Latest news with #STORM
The Star
20-07-2025
- The Star
Six years on, Gua Rusa tragedy still fresh in fireman's mind
Remembering the past: The tragedy remains etched in the memory of Mohd Sufri (fourth from left) who was involved in the SAR mission for flash flood victims in Gua Rusa, Mulu National Park, Miri. — Bernama KUCHING: The tragic events of July 12, 2019, are still vividly remembered by Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) officer Mohd Sufri Alulakal, who was part of a search and rescue (SAR) operation following flash floods at the iconic Gua Rusa (Deer Cave) located within the Mulu National Park in Miri. The incident, which claimed two lives – local tour guide Roviezal Robin, 20, and Dutch tourist Peter Hans Hovenkamp, 66 – led to the formation of the Mountain Cave Search and Rescue (Mocsar) team by Sarawak JBPM a year later to carry out SAR operations in mountains and caves. For Mohd Sufri, 30, who is now attached to the Lutong Fire and Rescue Station, the Gua Rusa mission was his first experience dealing with a tragedy. He said at that time, he had just completed a basic course conducted by the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM). 'Together with other STORM members, we were flown to the scene of the tragedy by a JBPM helicopter. 'I was still new to the team but when I was assigned to Mulu, I knew it wasn't just a routine operation,' he told Bernama recently during a visit to Gua Rusa in conjunction with the Gunung Api expedition in Mulu National Park, organised by the Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA). Mohd Sufri was assigned to accompany 10 KDJA members from various media outlets who took on the challenge of scaling Gunung Api, also known as Mulu Pinnacles. The expedition was held in conjunction with Sarawak Day on July 22. The Mulu National Park, recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site, contains one of the longest cave networks in the world. Gua Rusa is among the largest caves in the world in terms of main chamber size, spanning approximately two hectares and reaching a height of 122m. Recalling the Gua Rusa incident, Mohd Sufri said when the SAR team arrived at the scene on the morning of July 13, Hovenkamp's body had already been found – floating in the Melinau George River inside the cave. 'Our task was to search for Roviezal. 'Although the floods had receded, the narrow passages and dark conditions of the cave, along with the danger posed by rapids and the limestone structures, made the search more hazardous. 'The challenge was that we had to dive as the river water was our nose level,' added Mohd Sufri, who is also a member of JBPM's Water Rescue Team. He said the second victim's body was found on the third day of the SAR mission, caught on a log near the cave entrance. Now, after seven years of service with JBPM, he said the SAR mission in Gua Rusa remains his most challenging operation. The tragedy also led to the permanent closure of the Garden of Eden (involving Section A), one of the trails in Gua Rusa leading to the Melinau George waterfall where the flash floods occurred. Roviezal's younger brother, Gideon, 20, now works as a tour guide and porter at the Mulu National Park while their older sibling, Willvien, 31, is a member of Mocsar. 'I was 15 when the tragedy occurred. Now, I want to carry on my late brother's legacy as a tour guide here,' Gideon said.
Barnama
10-07-2025
- General
- Barnama
Gua Rusa Tragedy Sparks Formation Of MOCSAR
T he tragic events of July 12, 2019, are still vividly remembered by Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) officer Mohd Sufri Alulakal, who was part of a search and rescue (SAR) operation following a flash flood at the iconic Gua Rusa (Deer Cave), located within Mulu National Park in Miri. The incident, which claimed two lives – local tour guide Roviezal Robin, 20, and Dutch tourist Peter Hans Hovenkamp, 66 – led to the formation of the Mountain Cave Search and Rescue (MOCSAR) team by Sarawak JBPM a year later to carry out SAR operations in mountains and caves. For Mohd Sufri, 30, who is now attached to the Lutong Fire and Rescue Station, the Gua Rusa mission was his first experience dealing with a fatal tragedy. He said at that time he had just completed a basic course conducted by the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM). 'Together with other STORM members, we were flown to the scene of the tragedy by a JBPM helicopter. 'At the time, I was still new to the team but when I was assigned to Mulu, I knew it wasn't just a routine operation,' he told Bernama recently during a visit to Gua Rusa in conjunction with the Gunung Api expedition in Mulu National Park, organised by the Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA). Mohd Sufri was assigned to accompany 10 KDJA members from various media outlets who took on the challenge of scaling Gunung Api, also known as Mulu Pinnacles. The expedition was held in conjunction with Sarawak Day on July 22. The Mulu National Park, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains one of the longest cave networks in the world. Gua Rusa is among the largest caves in the world in terms of main chamber size, spanning approximately two hectares and reaching a height of 122 metres. Famed for its natural beauty, including limestone formations that are millions of years old and home to millions of bats, the cave also has a complex internal structure and water system, exposing it to whirlpools and sudden strong currents, especially during heavy rain. CHALLENGES Recalling the Gua Rusa incident, Mohd Sufri said when the SAR team arrived at the scene on the morning of July 13, Hans Hovenkamp's body had already been found – floating in the Melinau George River inside the cave. 'Our task was to search for Roviezal. Although the flood had receded, the narrow passages and dark conditions of the cave, along with the danger posed by rapids and the limestone structures, made the search more hazardous. 'The challenge here was that we had to dive as the river water was deep… at our nose level,' added Mohd Sufri, who is also a member of JBPM's Water Rescue Team. He said the second victim's body was found on the third day of the SAR mission, caught on a log near the cave entrance. Now, after seven years of service with JBPM, he said the SAR mission in Gua Rusa remains his most challenging operation. The tragedy also, for safety reasons, led to the permanent closure of the Garden of Eden (involving Section A), one of the trails in Gua Rusa leading to the Melinau George waterfall, where the flash flood occurred. Incidentally, Roviezal's younger brother Gideon Robin, 20, now works as a tour guide and porter at Mulu National Park while their older sibling Willvien Robin, 31, is a member of MOCSAR. 'I was 15 when the tragedy occurred… now I want to carry on my late brother's legacy as a tour guide here,' Gideon said. CAVE RESCUE UNIQUE MOCSAR was established by JBPM Sarawak in 2020 to manage search and rescue operations in high-risk areas such as mountains, national parks and caves across the state. Sarawak JBPM director Jamri Masran said the MOCSAR team now has 18 members, including Mulu National Park staff as well as mountain guides, porters and tour guides who are familiar with the local terrain. Serving as a support unit to JBPM, MOCSAR team members must complete an intensive 100-hour course that covers rope handling, vertical rescue techniques such as hauling and lowering, and first aid. To maintain a high level of preparedness, they are also required to undergo an additional 50 hours of technical competency training. According to Jamri, it is ideal for MOCSAR members to be locals who understand the customs and culture of the surrounding communities. 'Some caves are considered sacred by local communities, especially the Berawan and Penan ethnic groups,' he told Bernama, adding that the challenge and uniqueness of cave rescues in Sarawak lie in the mountainous terrains full of caves and ravines. 'At this (Mulu) national park alone, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people hike annually.' Following the Gua Rusa incident, JBPM Sarawak designated MOCSAR as the first responder for cave and mountain SAR operations, enabling a much faster response to emergencies compared to before. 'The response time for fire teams to reach mountainous areas used to be long due to the distance from fire stations to the sites concerned,' Jamri said. Citing Mulu National Park as an example, he said the nearest fire station is located about 120 kilometres away in Marudi.
Business Wire
16-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Quiver Bioscience Appoints Graham Dempsey, PhD as Chief Executive Officer to Lead Scaling of AI-Driven CNS Platform and Advance Lead Program into the Clinic
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Quiver Bioscience ('Quiver'), a discovery technology and therapeutics company advancing programs for treatment of serious central nervous system (CNS) disorders and chronic pain, announced the appointment of co-founder Graham Dempsey, PhD as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Dempsey assumes the CEO role after more than a decade of scientific and operational leadership at Quiver, most recently serving as Quiver's Chief Scientific Officer, directing the planning and execution of all scientific, medical, engineering and AI/machine learning activities at the company. This appointment comes as Quiver aims to advance its lead program into the clinic, an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) targeting Na v 1.7 for the treatment of chronic pain, while scaling its CNS-focused AI-driven drug discovery platform to accelerate a portfolio of therapeutic programs. Paul Roma, Quiver co-founder and interim CEO will transition to Chairman of the Board of Directors. 'We're excited by the potential of our genetic medicine strategy and platform to unlock this important target towards creating a transformative product for patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain," said Dr. Dempsey Share Dr. Dempsey has successfully led the development and rapid evolution of the company's technology platforms since the company's inception, as well as its first small molecule and antisense oligonucleotide therapeutic programs, resulting in several foundational patents and peer-reviewed publications. He has also led more than a dozen pharma collaborations and the execution of several grants from non-dilutive funding sources such as the NIH SBIR Programs and CNS Foundations. Dr. Dempsey holds a B.A. in biochemistry (Roy and Diana Vagelos Scholar) and biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard Medical School, where he co-invented novel fluorescence-based imaging platforms for investigating biological systems and was part of the team that developed the super-resolution imaging technique called stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) that was subsequently commercialized by Nikon Instruments. Dr. Dempsey serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Dan Lewis Foundation for Brain Regeneration Research and the editorial board of Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids. Under Dr. Dempsey's leadership, Quiver will advance their lead asset, an ASO targeting the genetically validated pain target Na v 1.7, a voltage gated sodium channel implicated in several neuropathic pain disorders, through IND and early clinical studies. 'Despite the longstanding promise of Nav1.7 as a target for pain, it has remained elusive for drug developers. We're excited by the potential of our genetic medicine strategy and platform to unlock this important target towards creating a transformative product for patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain,' said Dr. Dempsey. Quiver's Na v 1.7 ASO is expected to deliver durable relief for chronic pain while overcoming limitations of other Na v -targeted small molecules currently under development and recently approved. Quiver's strong data package demonstrates the efficacy of Na v 1.7 ASOs in rescuing pain phenotypes in in vitro and in vivo models with a favorable CNS tolerability profile. The ASO program is approaching development candidate selection in 2025 and is expected to begin critical IND enabling studies shortly thereafter. Quiver is also scaling their human-centric AI-driven novel CNS drug discovery platform with in silico models of target, efficacy and toxicity prediction, and is further bolstering a pipeline of fast-follower programs in pain, neurodevelopmental disorders, and other diseases of the CNS including the advancement of its UBE3A -targeting ASO for the neurodevelopmental disorder, chromosome 15q duplication syndrome (Dup15q) to IND. The company will be attending the BIO International Convention in Boston this week to showcase their programs and platform. About Quiver Bioscience Quiver Bioscience is a technology-driven company established to create transformational medicines for the brain while simultaneously uncovering new biology and novel, effective drug targets. Using advanced single-cell imaging and multi-omics, we are building the world's most information-rich neuronal insight map via our "Genomic Positioning System." Our approach integrates cutting-edge scalable human models, state-of-the-art technology and proprietary engineering, and learning and surrogate AI/ML models to identify novel therapeutic targets and the best candidate molecules to deliver new and meaningful therapeutics to patients. For more information, including partnerships and publications describing application of Quiver's GPS to drug discovery, visit or follow us on LinkedIn.
Malay Mail
06-06-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Teen missing in Melaka forest while searching for cows found weak but safe after 32 hours
KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — A 15-year-old boy with a learning disability who went missing while looking for cattle in a forested area near Kampung Permatang Pasir, Alai, was found safe early this morning after more than 32 hours. According to the New Straits Times, Muhamad Aidil Asyraf Fadli was found lying in the undergrowth behind a house about 600 metres from the Fire and Rescue Department's control post at 2.08am. 'He was given initial treatment by medical personnel at the scene before being handed over to the police for further action,' said Melaka Fire and Rescue Department public relations officer Mohd Hafidzatullah Rashid. He said the victim was found in a weak state and unable to move, and the search and rescue (SAR) operation was officially called off at 3.52am. The operation had earlier been suspended at 7pm yesterday after a search over a 2.4-hectare area yielded no leads. A total of 31 personnel were involved in the SAR effort, including 14 members from the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM), five policemen and four Civil Defence Force personnel. Villagers also assisted in the search, along with three sniffer dogs — two from the Fire and Rescue Department and one from the police. 'The operation was divided into four sectors and expanded to include riverbanks, with aerial monitoring conducted using a Fire and Rescue Department drone,' said Hafidzatullah. He added that SAR teams also drained two artificial ponds during the search. Meanwhile, Melaka Tengah deputy police chief Superintendent Halim Abas confirmed that Muhamad Aidil is currently receiving treatment at the Emergency Department of Melaka Hospital and is in stable condition.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Demand grows for racing fuel, IOCL expects surge in export
Vadodara: When superbikes roared down the tracks at the Asia Road Racing Championship 2024 in Thailand, few knew the fuel behind that raw power came from Gujarat. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd's Gujarat Refinery in Vadodara played a crucial role in the international event by supplying its high-performance STORM racing fuel — the first of its kind produced in India. "We began manufacturing racing fuel about a year and a half ago in response to growing demand. Until then, this fuel had to be imported, as no one in India was producing it," said Biplob Biswas, executive director and head of the Gujarat Refinery. "Apart from Thailand, our STORM fuel has also been used at two other racing events in India." Officials added that while a few more orders are in the pipeline, the majority of the racing fuel is currently exported. "We are considering supplying to western markets as well, but for now, production is based on confirmed orders," Biswas told TOI on Wednesday. In addition to racing fuel, Gujarat Refinery has also made strides in aviation energy, producing and exporting AVGAS 100 LL — a fuel that was previously imported. IndianOil has shipped AVGAS to Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, and it is also used by the Indian armed forces. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo The refinery is now eyeing a broader role in the petrochemical sector through its Petrochemical and Lube Integration Project (LuPech). "With a projected investment of Rs 17,825 crore, LuPech will boost the refinery's capacity from 13.7 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) to 18 MMTPA," Biswas said, outlining the refinery's ambitions of becoming a key petrochemical hub.
