KUALA LUMPUR — A group of 12 Malaysian hikers have gone missing while hiking in the Manali Mountains in India.

The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Wednesday (July 12) said the group had lost all contact with their family members since Sunday following heavy rains in the region.

The Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi was informed about what had happened to the group on Sunday as they were hiking through the Hampta Pass in Himachal Pradesh.

Efforts to locate them were immediately initiated once the group became uncontactable.

The Foreign Ministry said it would continue to monitor the situation in Himachal Pradesh and advised Malaysians in need of help to contact the High Commission directly for any consular assistance.

The Manali Mountains are located in the northern region of India.

The region has been hit by heavy rains for the past three days, damaging roads and causing a water surge in the villages in Manali.

Locals have also reported landslides in the Manali region near Himachal Pradesh.

Despite it being a popular tourist and hiking attraction, the Manali Mountains have always been a dangerous hiking spot.

The Malaysian group's final known location, the Hampta pass, was also the site where a trekker from Mumbai had collapsed before being declared dead in 2017.

This is not the first time Malaysian hikers have gone off the radar during hiking expeditions abroad.

In the most recent case, hearing-impaired Muhammad Hawari Hashim went missing in May after conquering Mount Everest and he has yet to be found. NEW STRAITS TIMES