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Body found by police searching for missing Briton Gareth Huntley Body found by police searching for missing Briton Gareth Huntley
(about 5 hours later)
Police searching for the British backpacker Gareth Huntley, who went missing on a Malaysian island more than a week ago, have found a body. Police searching for the British backpacker Gareth Huntley, who went missing on a Malaysian island more than a week ago, have found a body close to the turtle conservation project where he was volunteering.
Huntley, 34, from London, has not been seen since he started a trek to a waterfall on Tioman Island off the south-eastern coast of the country's mainland on 27 May. Huntley, 34, from London, has not been seen since he started a trek to a waterfall on Tioman Island off the south-eastern coast of the country's mainland on 27 May and the search had focused on the route through the jungle that he would have taken. But local media reported that the body was found at about 1.30pm (6.30am BST) on Wednesday in a river about 20 metres (66ft) from a kayak storage unit within the compound of the Juara Turtle project. It said the discovery was made behind a row of cabins where members of the search team had been staying over the past three days.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Malaysian police have confirmed that a body has been found on Tioman Island in Malaysia. Foreign Office consulate staff on the ground are continuing to work closely with Malaysian authorities and are investigating with them as a matter of urgency. We continue to provide support to the family of Gareth Huntley at this very difficult time."A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Malaysian police have confirmed that a body has been found on Tioman Island in Malaysia. Foreign Office consulate staff on the ground are continuing to work closely with Malaysian authorities and are investigating with them as a matter of urgency. We continue to provide support to the family of Gareth Huntley at this very difficult time."
The Star Online reported that the body was found on Wednesday at about 1.30pm (6.30am BST) in a pond close to the turtle conservation project where Huntley was volunteering, citing the Rompin police chief Deputy Superintendent Johari Yahaya. A group of forensic experts from Pahang, on the Malaysian mainland, have been deployed to the island to ascertain the identity of the body and cause of death, according to the New Straits Times. Video published online showed police tape surrounding the area where the body was found.
A group of forensic experts from Pahang, on the Malaysian mainland, have been deployed to the island to ascertain the identity of the body and cause of death, according to the New Straits Times. Huntley, originally from the Leeds-Bradford area was living in Hackney, east London, and had taken a sabbatical from his job in the City of London to travel overseas. He had arranged to go snorkelling with friends after returning from the waterfall, a four-mile (6km) walk along well-marked trails. Huntley had told them he would return to the charity project by 2pm the same day but failed to return, prompting his colleagues and several villagers to go out looking for him in the jungle. On Tuesday, Rompin police chief, Deputy Superintendent Johari Jahaya, who had been leading the rescue team, said the search had been narrowed to a 3km radius area, around 10km north-east of the Lubuk Teja waterfall where Huntley had planned to visit.
Huntley's family had initially been critical of the efforts to find him but, after intervention from the UK government, expressed their gratitude for the search operation. Huntley's family had initially been critical of the efforts to find him but, after intervention by the British defence secretary, Philip Hammond, and the prime minister, David Cameron, who spoke to their Malaysian counterparts about the search, Huntley's family hailed the effort as "fantastic".
The Star reported that the body was found in a pond about 20 metres (66ft) from a kayak storage unit within the compound of the conservation camp Huntley volunteered in. It said the pond was behind a row of cabins where members of the search party had been staying over the past three days. On Monday, his brother Mark said there were more than 100 people searching, alongside several helicopters and speedboats. Tracker dogs from the mainland had also been brought in to assist the search, which was being conducted by police and fire and rescue department officers as well as commandoes and members of the Rela, Malaysia's paramilitary civil volunteer corps. His mother, Janet Southwell, who flew out to Malaysia on Monday, along with his brother, had expressed her hope that her son was alive and had got lost after taking a wrong turn in the jungle.
The New Straits Times reported that Huntley's parents were staying in a chalet about 200 metres from where the body was found. The New Straits Times reported that Huntley's parents were staying in a chalet about 200 metres from where the body was found and had been briefed by Jahaya on developments. Huntley's girlfriend, Kit Natariga, arrived on the island on Sunday, when she said in a Facebook post that she felt anxious and helpless.