Search continues for two hikers missing in Mount Rainier, Park Service says

Mount Rainier National Park officials continued searching for two missing people Friday who were hiking on different trails.

“One search is focused on trails out of Longmire and the second unrelated search is focused on Paradise area trails,” the park said in a news release.

The search began Tuesday and continued Wednesday with 55 people looking for missing hikers Vincent Djie and Talal Sabbagh, the National Park Service said. On Thursday, park officials asked the public to stay away from the search because of dangerous conditions.

“Dangerous late spring conditions, including widespread unstable snow bridges exist putting independent searchers at risk and potentially creating new incidents, in addition to possibly obscuring important clues to Sabbah’s whereabouts,” the park said in a Thursday news release. “These accidents with independent search parties would divert professional search teams from the searches for Djie and Sabbagh.”

Park officials said Friday the search for Sabbagh in the Paradise area will “continue to focus on high probablity areas” after five days of search operations.

Djie, a 25-year-old Indonesian student living in Seattle, was last seen Friday afternoon hiking the Van Trump Trail toward Mildred Point, the park said. Park officials said he did not return home that night, and was reported missing to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

“On Monday, June 22, a ‘Be On The Look Out’ or BOLO was issued by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office for Djie’s vehicle which was subsequently found at Longmire, within Mount Rainier National Park,” the park said. “Djie was wearing black pants, and a blue and white tie dye shirt, and carrying a small drawstring-type bag.”

Another search is underway for 27-year-old Sabbagh from Seattle, the park said. Sabbagh was reported missing Monday, and rangers found his car in a Paradise parking lot.

Sabbagh intended to hike at Paradise on Sunday, according to the park.

“A hasty search was conducted on Monday resulting in no sign of Sabbagh,” the park said. “Search efforts expanded today to seven ground teams and the park contract A-STAR B-3 helicopter. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, black shorts, and dark Nike shoes.”

If you have any information about the searches, the park said to call 360-569-6683.

This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Search continues for two hikers missing in Mount Rainier, Park Service says."