Newport Beach man missing in Kings Canyon National Park for more than a week

A search is intensifying Tuesday for a Newport Beach man who became separated from his hiking group in Kings Canyon National Park.

Quang Trong Than, 66, was last seen Sunday, Aug.  21 between 3 and 4 p.m., near the peak of Split Mountain, on the Sierra Nevada Crest, near the boundary between the national park and national forest, according to officials with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. He had become separated from his group at the base of the summit.

Than had planned to spend the day hiking to the summit of Split Mountain, and leave the same day via Inyo National Forest. Authorities say he was not carrying overnight gear.

The search for Than was launched on Aug. 22, when he was reported missing to Inyo County Search and Rescue. Officials with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and the Inyo County Sheriff's Department are also searching for Than alongside ground searchers and canines. Park rangers say they will start using infrared imaging, helicopters, and drones as part of their search.

Than is described as a 5-foot-2, 145-pound Asian man with gray hair and brown eyes. Photos taken of Than on Aug. 21 were released by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and show he wore gray pants, a blue pullover with teal green sleeves, a gray hat with a chin strap, and carried two hiking sticks.

Parks officials say they have contained trails and questioned hikers that have exited the area where Than was last seen. Anyone who may have been in the park on or after Aug. 21 can contact NPS Investigative Services at (888) 653-0009 or via email at nps_isb@nps.gov.