A hiker named Yudha Saputra from Palembang was reported lost while navigating the Mount Dempo hiking trail in Pagar Alam City. The life-threatening incident began when the victim became separated from his group on Wednesday (8/7/2026).
According to gathered information, Yudha made his last contact with his parents at 21:00 WIB. During the brief conversation, he revealed that his physical condition was weakening due to exposure to extreme cold temperatures in the mountainous area before the phone call was disconnected, presumably due to a drained battery.
After receiving a report from the victim's family, the Dempo Registration Center Team (BRIGADE) immediately launched a search operation around the last reported location. Their efforts proved successful on Thursday (9/7/2026) when the team found Yudha weak but safe in the middle of the forest area.
Yudha told officials that he got lost because he followed the source of a voice he believed came from his team members. Instead of meeting his group, the sound led him deeper into the forest until he completely lost his sense of direction. The joint SAR team then evacuated the victim using a stretcher to the BRIGADE Post for emergency medical care.
Responding to this incident, the Head of BRIGADE Pagar Alam City, Dian Saputra, issued a stern warning to the hiking community to always maintain group cohesion. He stressed the importance of discipline in sticking to official hiking trails and not being easily distracted by voices of unknown origin to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
