The family of Jordan Yap has engaged a private mountain rescue team after struggling to get a response from local authorities in Peru. The team began its search and within two days reported 'positive identification' of Mr Yap, suggesting they found evidence of his passage but not the man himself.
Mr Yap, an experienced hiker but on one of his first solo trips, left a hostel in the town of Huaraz on September 14 for a planned 10-day hike in the Huayhuash mountain range. He told family he would be off-grid for the duration. He failed to check into a hotel on September 23 and missed a connecting flight to Cusco, triggering alarm.
'So he failed to check in at the hotel and he missed his flight as well, so that's when the panic and the concern kicked in,' Mr Yap's father Vinh Dao told the ABC.
Mr Dao said his son sent a final message before starting the hike, saying he would be off-grid for 10 days. The family contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), which said it was providing consular assistance. The rescue team now plans to expand its search area over the coming days, and the family is preparing to travel to Peru if necessary.
'We're very anxious,' Mr Dao said. 'We just can't imagine that he's there, lost somewhere.'