150 people have joined search for British tourist Aiden Webb, who has been missing for a week while trekking in Sapa.
Aiden Webb
The Search and Rescue Operations Department, provincial, district and communal police forces, local security and the locals have joined the search and operators of the cable system are helping looking for the man.
Nguyen Xuan Chien, deputy director of Fansipan Sa Pa Co, Ltd., said they first looked for Webb between two cable's pillars 4 and 5 but had to expand the search area. Major General Ngo Van Hung of Military Zone 2 said they deployed sniffer dogs and asked Lao Cai Province High Command to co-operate with forest rangers and police to speed up the search.
Webb, born in 1993, has was reported missing while trekking Fansipan Mountain. Webb started his trek on June 3. The next day, he sent a message to his girlfriend, saying that because it was cold, he continued trekking at around midnight to keep his body warm. He went on to say that he fell into a ravine by waterfall and suffered some injuries and sent her images of cable's pillars number 4 and 5. The last message his girlfriend received was at 6am on June 4.
Lisa Shaw Webb, his aunt, took to the internet to call for help and update the process of the search. Webb's father and uncle have arrived in Vietnam to help and said they would award VND100m (USD4,500) for who could find him. The authorities of Sapa District also said they would provide VND350,000 a day for who help in the search.
Lu Van Khuyen, head of Culture and Information Office in Sapa District, said, "The area where Aiden Webb went missing is also where another foreign visitor went missing previously. It's dangerous with ravine which make the search mission difficult."
According to his family, Webb is a professional mountaineer and likes to conquer difficult terrains. It's highly likely that after texting about his injuries and need of help, Webb moved to other areas which could have made the search become more difficult.
