Sunset climb turns into deadly fall

KOTA BARU - Climbing enthusiast and nature lover Lee Jun Jie, 23, stood on a cliff to admire the sunset, but lost his footing on the slippery rocks and fell to his death on Saturday.

The second-year engineering student from the National University of Singapore (NUS) was on a trip with 22 other campers to the Mount Stong waterfalls in Kelantan.

He was enjoying the sunset at the top of the seven-tiered Stong waterfalls when the tragedy occurred.

"He was said to have stood on the slippery cliff to enjoy the sunset before falling into the waterfalls below," a police officer told Bernama.

His body was found yesterday morning about 100m from where he fell.

The student's parents arrived in Kuala Krai yesterday afternoon to claim the body, Mr Zahirin Mohamad, a police officer in charge of the case, told The Straits Times.

The forested area is open to the public daily until 6pm. Those who intend to camp overnight are required to inform the park authorities and local police. But the group apparently did not do so.

"We generally do not encourage campers to trek up the mountain during the rainy season, but we give permits as long as they register with us," Mr Zahirin said.

"We are investigating whether there is any negligence by the local tour agency for not registering these campers," he said.

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A spokesman from NUS said yesterday: "The University is deeply saddened by the passing of one of our students who was on a trekking trip to Kelantan, Malaysia, when an accident occurred. The student's family was informed about the accident immediately and the University is in touch with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Malaysian authorities.

"Two university staff are currently accompanying the student's family in Malaysia and the university staff are also on site to provide assistance and support to the student's family and friends.

"The other 22 participants are safe. The trekking trip has been cancelled and university staff are making arrangements for the group to return to Singapore as soon as possible.

"The University is monitoring the situation closely. Our thoughts are with the student's family and friends during this difficult time."

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