Eveline de Klerk
Walvis Bay-The search for Mark Mokosso, a 37-year-old American tourist of Senegalese descent who recently went missing in a rugged, mountainous area in Erongo Region, continues with the Namibian police having beefed up the search party.
The police have reinforced their manpower involved in the search and also deployed a second helicopter as hopes to find him alive fade.
Mokosso has been missing for five days in the Klein Brandberg Mountains in the vicinity of Uis, after he embarked upon a hiking trip alone last week Friday.
Updating New Era on Tuesday on the disappearance of the nature-loving tourist, Namibian police crime investigations coordinator for Erongo Region, Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, said they have not yet spotted any sign of the tourist and that more police along with locals were currently looking for him.
“We suspect that he took a wrong road on his way to the camping site, and most likely lost direction overall. We are worried about his well-being hence we deployed more members to search for him,” said Iikuyu.
Iikuyu also indicated that although no family member of the missing tourist has arrived in Namibia, they have been constantly updated through the American embassy with which the police are in contact.
“Time is of the essence. We do not even know whether he had enough water with him. However, we will continue with our search until we find him,” he told New Era.
Mokosso rented a Ford Ranger belonging to Namibia Car Rentals last Friday and drove with it to Uis, where he went missing.
He was last seen on Friday where he had parked his vehicle next to the gravel road leading to Xoboxobos and walked towards the Klein Brandberg, where he started his hiking adventure.
Residents of the area during the evening realised he did not return as the vehicle was still parked at the same spot and notified the police in the area.
Iikuyu explained that a search party was sent out on Friday night but he was not found.
“A second search attempt was launched on Saturday after which the Special Field Force and a helicopter were called in to assist,” Iikuyu said.
Iikuyu appealed to residents in the area to continue assisting the police.