After a gruelling 27 days across Greenland, participants of the Seven Continents Exploration Club (KE7B) finally completed their expedition and arrived home today.

Shouts of “Malaysia Boleh” by family members and friends greeted the eight explorers, including a woman, on their arrival at the KL International Airport at 7.30am.

Expedition leader Yanizam Mohamad Supiah said among the most difficult challenge they had to endure was the extreme cold weather, as low as -35 degrees Celsius.

“Praise to God, we managed to complete the expedition earlier than planned, which was 35 days,” he told reporters.

He said a few of them encountered health problems along the way, like coughing up blood and piles.

“However, due to strong determination to bring glory to the country, we went ahead, with each of us carrying stuff of between 70 and 80kg on our backs during the 540km journey,” he added.

Shaiful Hisyam Abdul Aziz, 25, the son of a settler at Felda Gedangsa, Hulu Selangor, said he was coughing up blood, but it did not dampen his spirit to complete the expedition.

“It was indeed difficult with the cold weather and a sick body, but the encouragement from colleagues gave me the confidence that I could complete the expedition,” he added.

The sole woman participant, Tahira Naj-munisaa, said she did not regard herself as a burden, but worked as a team in the group.

“I am fortunate because my husband, Abdul Rahman Abu Hassan, who is also in the expedition, helped me alot when my foot was injured,” she added.

Other members of the expedition were Mohd Akasyah Jamaludin, Muhammad Irwan Yusuf Abdullah, Muhd Hafizuddin Abdul Mutalib and Muhammad Musaddiq Samsudin.

- Bernama