Lost hiker survived two weeks in Malaysian jungle on water alone

Jaslinda Saludin, 49, recounted her harrowing two-week ordeal lost in the Malaysian jungle, surviving solely on water after becoming separated from her hiking group. Found by villagers near Gunung Batu Putih, she described feeling like she was "hanging between life and death" due to the lack of food and the extreme, disorienting terrain.

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I really had no food. I did not eat for two weeks. I only ate earlier today.

Saludin, who was part of a 14-person trek that began on May 23, went missing the following day. She was eventually discovered on Saturday, June 6, by villagers from the Orang Asli settlement of Lubuk Gaharu. During her time lost, she subsisted on water from pitcher plants and black or brown water sources, and later, dew and river water, according to officials. She also consumed jungle produce, including mushrooms she collected.

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I only drank black water, brown water and water from pitcher plants … I felt like I was hanging between life and death.

"I really had no food. I did not eat for two weeks," Saludin said in a video circulating online. She described the difficult navigation, walking in circles until she found a water source. The Perak Fire and Rescue Department noted there was a period of about three days when she had no access to water. Upon her rescue, she apologized for the distress her prolonged disappearance caused.

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I am sorry for causing trouble to Malaysians.

Videos showed her eating instant noodles after being found. A villager who helped her described her as staggering and crying when they encountered her near a river. She was then handed over to health officials. Officials confirmed she was found within a search zone that rescuers had been covering.

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I felt like I was dying going up and down, up and down. The ground was too soft.