North Shore Rescue says there’s nothing more they can do for lost hiker Liang Jin unless someone from the public comes forward with new information.
Jin hasn’t been heard from since Dec. 31 when he texted his father to say he was going hiking. Police later found that Jin had been researching trails on the North Shore.
“As it stands right now, we did a very extensive search of the Hanes Valley area. We had 30-plus searchers in the field. We had two aircraft and we really flooded that area in the high-probability spots and we also covered off some likely areas where people get lost on Grouse, Seymour and Cypress, and we didn’t have any luck,” said Mike Danks, NSR team leader.
Hopes were raised Wednesday morning when the team received a message from a hiker who said she met a couple in their 60s on the Yew Lake trail who mentioned running into a lone male hiker on the Howe Sound Crest trail, saying he was headed for Lions Bay.
“We need to talk to that person directly but we haven’t had any luck,” Danks said, “If we can get more information, if we can find out indeed that was an Asian male, that would make a huge difference for us.”
Police are asking anyone with information about Jin to immediately call 9-1-1.
The incident underscores why it is so important for hikers to make sure someone knows where they are planning to go and what timeline they are sticking to in order to allow rescuers to get the fastest start possible, Danks said.
