During China's National Day holiday, outbound travel surged. However, on October 4, a missing-person notice from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, drew widespread attention on social media.
The missing tourists are a 25-year-old man surnamed Yu and a 28-year-old woman surnamed Fan.
They departed from Hefei, Anhui, on September 30, transited through Kuala Lumpur, and arrived in Kota Kinabalu on October 2, with plans to return to Kuala Lumpur on October 6.
After the case attracted public attention, some witnesses reported seeing the two walking along the coast in swimsuits and diving gear.
As of now, their whereabouts remain unknown, and the incident has quickly become a major media focus.
Some speculate that they went into the sea on their own and did not return after snorkeling.
Acquaintances said that the two were not a couple but “travel buddies” who had traveled together multiple times.
“Travel buddies” are common—people who meet via online platforms, groups, or social media, agreeing to travel together, split costs, and keep each other company.
However, the popularity of travel buddies also carries risks.
Traveling with people one does not know well, especially for high-risk activities like island snorkeling or hiking, clearly involves safety hazards.
