On Wednesday (6 March), a 41-year-old man passed away while trekking in Gunung Baling with a friend.

The occurrence shocked the neighborhood and serves as a sobering reminder of how important it is to be mindful of one's health and to plan before participating in outdoor activities.

According to Harian Metro, Baling District Police Chief Supt Shamsudin Mamat said that the deceased, Syakenal Firdaus Yusof from Alor Setar, was employed as a manufacturing technician before his tragic passing.

Syakenal and his 26-year-old friend started their walk at 8am, and they arrived at the summit at 9:40 a.m. Unfortunately on the way down, their victorious rise took a disastrous turn.

Even though Syakenal was in good physical shape when they started their descent, he started to have breathing difficulties 1,200 meters from the mountain's base.

He lost consciousness and fell to the ground in a matter of minutes, leaving his climbing partners trying to help him. Forty-five minutes later, eight firefighters and three mountain guides arrived, beginning a heroic rescue effort.

But Syakenal did not reply; instead, his body stiffened, a terrifying sign of how seriously ill he was. After being brought unconscious down the mountainside by the rescue crew, Yusof's untimely death was confirmed by a medical checkup.