Briton Gareth Huntley goes missing in Malaysian jungle

Gareth Huntley, 34, has not been seen since Tuesday morning when he went on a trek to visit a waterfall in Tioman Island, which lies off Malaysia’s south east coast.

He was volunteering at a nearby charity project, and told fellow workers that he would be back by 2pm but he failed to return.

Volunteers ventured far into the dense jungle to search for him but failed to find him, and now Mr Huntley’s family has appealed for moe searches to be carried out by local authorities.

His mother, Janet Southwell, said she was “extremely concerned and anxious” about her son, and has written to Prime Minister David Cameron asking him to “make one phone call” to the country’s leader “before time runs out”.

Mrs Southwell said “real help” was needed to find her son, after calling on Malaysian authorities to do more to find her son and calling their response so far “incredibly slow”.

“He has been missing for four days now, and as yet I have had no contact from any official agency advising me as to the progress of the search,” she added.

It’s a huge wilderness out there – a remote location Charles Fisher, friend of Mr Huntley

“At this stage I feel it is essential that the search be intensified as time is running out for Gareth, so I would really appreciate the support of the Malaysian authorities and the UK government with this.”

She said she would fly out with Mr Huntley’s father to help in the search for their son.

Jungle search

A fellow volunteer on the Jura Turtle Project, Charles Fisher, said a group embarked on a search in the jungle after Mr Huntley failed to come back. They searched several routes to the waterfall 6km away, but another search the next day was also fruitless.

Mr Fisher said: “The police were no longer physically looking at that point – I think they were arranging for a search party but nothing happened that day.

“It’s a huge wilderness out there – a remote location. He could have taken a wrong turn and just got lost in another valley – we just don’t know. The trouble is the police probably don’t have proper search equipment – they need extra support.”

The family have released a video of Mr Huntley from April 2012 taking part in a raffle in China Town with friends, and a Facebook page has been set up to appeal for help in finding him.

The page says he is “not a beginner” at camping and trekking and would have taken proper precautions before venturing to the waterfall.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware that a British national has been reported missing in Malaysia since 27 May.

“We are providing consular assistance to the family and are liaising closely with the local authorities.”