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Malaysia tightens rules on high-risk hiking routes after surge in rescues

Authorities said Fire and Rescue recorded 52 lost-person cases involving 114 people in the first five months of 2026, exceeding 2025 totals on a like-for-like basis.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Emerging Markets

Malaysia is tightening controls on high-risk hiking routes after officials linked a rise in rescue operations to inadequate preparation, unauthorised trails and social media driven attempts to reach summits. The measures also target so called compressed hikes, where climbers attempt long or technically demanding routes within a single day, often combining ascent and descent that would normally take longer.

Fire and Rescue Department data cited by local media showed 52 cases involving 114 people were reported lost in forests and hiking areas during the first five months of this year. The tally already exceeded half of 88 cases involving 193 people throughout 2025.

Figures presented to parliament also show that between 2021 and 2025 Malaysia recorded 1,059 hiking accidents, including 63 deaths and 87 injuries. Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said the restrictions are designed to prevent hikers from becoming exhausted, disoriented or stranded in remote areas where search and rescue can require specialist teams, aircraft and days of searching.

He tied the stricter approach to the operational burden of locating and recovering hikers in remote terrain, where incidents can escalate into prolonged efforts.

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