A missing 64-year-old Wisconsin dad with diabetes and a heart condition was found Tuesday after he got lost for days while on a hiking tour in a dense Puerto Rican rainforest
Abdur Rahman became separated from his family while on vacation in the El Yunque National Forest on Sunday, local media outlet El Vocero, reported.
Rescuers sprung into action to search for Rahman and found the 64-year-old near the Icacos River in Naguabo — about 40 miles outside San Juan, the Office of Emergency Management posted on X.
Six groups of rescuers, equipped with dogs and a drone, combed tirelessly through the forest — known for its waterfalls, rivers, and thick vegetation — for three days before finding the tourist.
Officials battled harsh conditions while tracking down Rahman, commissioner of the Municipal Police of Río Grande, Antonio Rosa, told El Vocero.
“It has been raining this morning. We have a lot of fog that is slowing us down, but we have to trust in human resources and their capacity,” Rosa said on the day Rahman was found.
Rosa escalated the critical search efforts when Rahman’s family informed them that the patriarch was diagnosed with diabetes and had a heart condition.
Rahman was found after a rescue team discovered footprints on a road and ruled out “areas within the search perimeter,” and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
Rahman’s daughter, Mehreen Asra, feared her father was dead.
“I never thought we’d find him alive,” she told WDJT.
Arsa said that some of her family members took a side trail while on the hike to reach a lookout spot to take photos, but noticed her father vanished when he wasn’t with them on the main trail.
Her husband, Fazal Hunzai, knew they couldn’t waste any time.
Hunzai had also taken the wrong path and returned to the family on the main trail after being turned around for “almost an hour” and feared his father-in-law had also gotten lost.
“I told my wife, ‘Can you please call 911 right away. Because it sounds like he’s missing,’” Hunzai recalled.
After police intervened to help with the search, they were instructed to return to their Airbnb when it became too dark and dangerous for them to wander around.
“When we didn’t find him for 24 hours, I thought he fell somewhere and he passed away,” Arsa told the outlet.
By the third day, his daughter was getting ready to accept the fact that she may never see her dad alive again.
“We almost gave up,” she painstakingly revealed.
However, their hope was restored when they got word on a rescue radio that Rahman was found alive about a 15-hour walk from where he got separated.
“He said, ‘Yes, he is alive.’ I jumped like a little baby, hugging, like a piggyback hug, the police officer,” Hunzai recalled.
His son-in-law said they saw Rahman before he was taken to the hospital, and he appeared to be in good shape and was discharged on Wednesday.
“His first words was, ‘I’m hungry,’” Hunzai said.
Arsa said her father did not eat the whole time he was missing, didn’t sleep in the two days leading up to him being found. and was rained on “continuously” on his final night in the wilderness.
Rahman suffered a few scrapes but had no significant injuries.
