Yap misplaced satellite beacon days before 120km solo trek
Australian hiker Jordan Yap, who went missing on a remote trail in the Peruvian Andes in September, has been found dead, his friends and family said. In a social media post on Saturday, they wrote that “with a heavy heart we are sorry to tell you Jordan has been found, and he did not survive”.
Yap, 30, from Melbourne, last made contact with friends and family on 14 September ahead of a planned 10-day solo trek along Peru’s Huayhuash mountain range, about 400km north-east of Lima.
He was last seen near the beginning of the trek across the Cordillera Huayhuash circuit, regarded as a challenging, high-altitude route through the remote Andes mountains. His friends and family regarded him as a very experienced hiker.
His friends and family became concerned after he failed to make contact on his estimated return date, failed to check back into the Krusty hostel in Huaraz and missed a scheduled flight from Lima to Cusco.
Concerns deepened because the avid trekker had misplaced the satellite beacon he was travelling with days before he set off on the 120km hike, friends and family said.
In their post, the family thanked “friends and family, the contributors, the search teams, the police, the many groups we engaged with who gave their time and effort, everyone who helped to share on social media”.
They asked that Yap be remembered “as the vibrant man he was, and for the immense joy he brought to so many people’s lives”, and closed with: “Rest in peace Jordan – from your friends and family.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment, The Guardian said.