Hiker missing after trek to Aripo

NALINEE SEELAL

A 56-year-old Rousillac man, who went on a hiking expedition to the Aripo waterfall on Saturday with 59 other hikers, has been reported missing. He is believed to have fallen down a precipice and injured himself.

According to reports, at about 5.45 am, Richard Baird and the other hikers left Mt Poui Road, Aripo to trek five miles into the forest to spend the day at the picturesque waterfall.

The hikers, under the supervision of Mario Russell, head of the Fitness Walkers Club, arrived at the waterfall on schedule and spent the day taking photos, eating lunch and bathing.

Russell said the hikers were organised into nine groups and Baird was placed in the last group to journey from the waterfall back to Mt Poui Road. Baird, he said, began complaining of cramps. Russell said at one point Baird removed his shoes to complete the journey. He said that the trek to the waterfall is a treacherous one with hikers having to climb slippery slopes, wade through thick bushes and in some instances remove trees from their path.

He said despite some of the setbacks, the hike went well on the way to the waterfall, but on the way back he believes Baird may have slipped on a rock and fallen down a precipice. He said it was not until 5.30 pm that he realised Baird was missing.

Russell said he alerted the other hikers and they searched up until midnight on Saturday. Some of the more experienced hikers returned yesterday to continue searching. Russell said the persistent rainfall yesterday hampered some of the search activities, however fire officers as well as police from the Northern Division joined the search and they were expected to receive assistance from soldiers.

At about 1.30 pm yesterday Russell returned to the the Arima police station for more assistance in finding Baird.

He told Newsday, “This is not a search for a missing person, but for someone who is injured. We are praying that he is found and given the necessary medical attention and that he could be reunited with his anxious family members.”

Russell said he contacted Baird’s family and has kept them informed of the progress of the search.