JOHOR BARU: The mountain climber who died after falling along the Banyu Urip trail of Mount Rinjani on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday (May 3), has been laid to rest on Wednesday morning.
Rennie Abdul Ghani, 57, an engineer at a private company, was laid to rest at the Mutmainah Muslim Cemetery in Pasir Gudang at 7.20am.
Earlier, the hearse carrying Rennie’s remains arrived at his residence in D’Sierra Ville, Taman Sierra Perdana, at 3am, after departing from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
More than 150 family members and friends gathered at Surau Raudhatul Jannah, Taman Sierra Perdana, to perform funeral prayers.
Meanwhile, the eldest son of the deceased, Mohamad Akashah, 29, shared that Mount Rinjani was the last mountain his father had hoped to climb. He described his father as a responsible, firm, and hardworking individual.
“My father had climbed all the mountains in Malaysia and said he no longer wanted to climb after Mount Rinjani. He was very excited about the trip.
“Our family is saddened, but we accept it as fate. He left in a happy state, having completed Mount Rinjani, the last mountain on his ‘wishlist’ to climb,” he said.
He also expressed his gratitude to all those who assisted in facilitating the arrangements to bring his father’s remains home.
Meanwhile, actor Riezman Khuzaimi, 55, shared that the deceased was his brother-in-law and often accompanied him on mountain climbs.
“I couldn’t join him this time to Mount Rinjani due to work commitments, but the deceased was known as a very kind and helpful person,” he said.
“The family is relieved that the funeral arrangement went smoothly, as we have been waiting for information and the process of bringing his body home since Saturday, after he was found,” he said.
Rennie was found dead by the Indonesian search and rescue (SAR) team on Sunday. The SAR team retrieved his body from the bottom of a ravine about 80m deep at 10.30am local time.
The Mount Rinjani National Park Station reportedly said that, based on information from the guide and the victim’s companions, the incident occurred around 11am on Saturday when the group of climbers stopped to collect drinking water at the Banyu Urip spring. However, the deceased continued walking and did not stop to rest.
The deceased had begun the ascent on May 1 via the Sembalun route with a group of 23 people. – Bernama