64-Year-Old Hiker Found Alive in Puerto Rican Jungle 2 Days After He Went Missing

Abdur Rahman, of Pewaukee, Wis., disappeared on Sunday, Feb. 23, while hiking with family members in the El Yunque National Forest

A 64-year-old man who had been missing for two days after he disappeared while on a hike with his family in Puerto Rico has been found safe.

Abdur Rahman, of Pewaukee, Wis., was transported to a hospital on the island after searchers found him in the El Yunque National Forest on Tuesday, Feb. 25, according to CBS affiliate WDJT-TV.

The man was discovered in an area of the rainforest far from where he was last seen — about a distance that would take 15 hours to hike, WDJT reported. He suffered no major injuries and had a few minor scrapes on his body.

Rahman became separated from his group while hiking in the jungle on Sunday, Feb. 23, the Associated Press, La Perla del Sur and radio station WXEW previously reported.

Authorities received a call about his disappearance around 4 p.m. local time, according to a preliminary investigation. 

After a few members of the hiking group took photos on a side trail, Rahman did not return to the main trail, his son-in-law Fazal Hunzai told WDJT.

Once he realized that Rahman was missing, Hunzai said he ran “almost an hour” trying to find his father-in-law. 

A search team canvassed the area all day Monday, and through the night, until they found him on Tuesday.

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Family members began to give up hope that Rahman, who they say is fit but has a heart condition, would be found alive.

When the news came that rescuers had found him, his daughter Mehreen Asra and her husband literally jumped with joy.

“He said, ‘Yes, he is alive,’ ” Hunzai recalled. “I jumped like a little baby, hugging, like a piggyback hug, the police officer.”

Asra added, “Then he said it again and I started screaming that he’s alive!”

Rahman’s daughter told the station that her father — who had not eaten since Sunday and struggled to find a good water source while he was lost — received IV treatment and a CT scan on Tuesday, and that he was scheduled to be discharged on Wednesday.

“When we didn’t find him for 24 hours, I thought he fell somewhere and he passed away,” she said. “We almost gave up.”