The family of a 22-year-old British man who has been missing in the Vietnamese jungle for five days have appealed for travellers in the area to help with the search.
Aiden Webb, from Norwich, was solo climbing Fansipan, the highest mountain in the country at more than 10,000 ft, when he fell, injured himself and lost his way. He remained in contact with his girlfriend, who was in a nearby town, until Saturday morning when his phone went dead.
“Aiden is lost, injured, cold & wet in the Vietnam Jungle. Please! Help us find him!” his family wrote on a Facebook page titled ‘Help us find Aiden in Vietnam’ on Wednesday.
“He has hurt his knee, torn open his arm and lost his flashlight after falling by a waterfall ... ANY backpackers in the area, any experienced climbers or locals that are willing to save a life, I will reward you for your efforts & for finding him!!!!! We NEED people who are strong!!!!!”
Webb’s father, Trever Webb, and uncle, Michael Webb, arrived in northern Vietnam on Tuesday where they met officials and rescue teams. Trever Webb wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that he was on Fansipan mountain with 25 to 30 firefighters.
“My son has incredible strength and courage,” he said. “The terrain is very harsh, I need to take Aiden back home to his mum alive, we need a mountain rescue team who are trained in such matters.”
Webb’s girlfriend, Bluebell Baughan, was travelling with him in Vietnam but did not attempt to climb Fansipan.
“We have reason to believe he might be incapacitated in a steep sided valley that is hard to access on foot,” Baughan said on Facebook, adding that anyone in the area with access to a camera drone to help search the dense jungle should contact the family.
More than £4,000 has been raised on a crowdfunding page to pay for the search.
Webb is a skilled rock climber and spent much of the past two months climbing in south-east Asia.
On 18 May, he wrote that he had completed a 42km trek in the Vietnamese jungle, including “through dense jungle, swamps and streams with only ribbons to guide you.”
“I didn’t even hire a guide. Definitely off the beaten track,” he added.
Three days later, Webb said he was briefly lost on Liang Biang, a mountain in southern Vietnam, during a trek to prepare for his trip to Fansipan.
On May 28, Webb said he was free soloing, a type of climbing where no ropes or protective equipment are used and the climber is alone.
“Never had so much fun and never had my mind so clear and empty,” he wrote. “This is something I’ve felt I’ve needed to do in a long time,” he said, adding that he chose climbing routes below his skill level to stay safe.
