PETALING JAYA, April 11 — Although Dennis Lee Thian Poh has been missing in the Himalayas for six days, family and friends are hopeful for his safe return.

The 47-year-old Malaysian was reported missing last Sunday while hiking from Khopra Danda to Deurali in northern-central Nepal.

Describing Lee as a fit and robust man, a family friend said Lee had the “physical and mental strength to get through this''.

“He's a resourceful man and has the required outdoor skills,” she said.

“He might have found shelter and is waiting for us to go get him.

“It also helps that he's mentally strong — he's out there alone and in the cold, he needs to be (mentally strong).

“We're positive about finding him but there's a sense of urgency too. Every hour is important right now.

“The (search) area is quite vast, so we're trying to mobilise as many people as we can,” she said.

Lee, a Kuala Lumpur-based businessman, is an avid trekker.

His last major outing was a climb up Mount Kinabalu mid-last year.

Lee has two teenage daughters from his first marriage. His first wife passed away in late 2000.

In 2013, Lee married Jennifer Eileen Peters, a speech therapist based in Kuala Lumpur.

“Before Jennifer, he was raising the two girls on his own.

“His younger daughter is a special needs child, so he spent a lot of time and effort in supporting her.

“All that he has gone through shows that he has a lot of character, that he's determined and strong-willed,” she said.

Thanking well-wishers for their support, the family friend said the family appreciated any information that would assist in the search and rescue mission.

Lee arrived in Kathmandu on March 28 for a hiking trip with eight friends on the Annapurna circuit and was scheduled to return home yesterday.

According to a previous statement by the family,  Lee went missing the day the group started its descent from Khopra Danda.

By Tuesday, a search party of 35 people was set up and his wife flew to Nepal on Wednesday to help coordinate the rescue team.

The family friend said “a very close friend” of Lee's was also on the ground there.

SAR Dogs Nepal, an independent Nepali search and rescue team, said it was also trying to “motivate local people” to help with the search.

“We are distributing reward posters in Nepali along the route where Mr Lee is missing,” it said on its website yesterday morning.

Lee's friends have set up a Facebook page called Find Dennis for those who wish to share more information or express their support.

Alternatively, those who wish to help can also email [email protected].