Wu Jiyun, a 36-year-old bikini-climbing hiker, began a solo trek on the Nanshan Section 3 route from Dongpu in Nantou County on the 11th of this month. The day before yesterday (19th), she slipped and fell nearly 20 meters into a valley near Bunjiushan, sustaining injuries that left her immobile. She called for help via satellite phone to fellow hikers. On the 20th, the Nantou County Fire Bureau launched a joint land and air rescue operation. Due to poor weather conditions, the air rescue helicopter was forced to turn back three times, so ground search and rescue teams were deployed instead. It is reported that rescuers located Wu herself at around noon today (21st), but she had already shown no signs of life.
Lin Cheng-yi, captain of the Nantou Fire Bureau’s Third Brigade, said: “The mountain temperature was only around 2 degrees Celsius. When we found Wu, she was already hypothermic and her body was rigid.” He stated that at 12:10, it was confirmed that Wu had no signs of life. Due to the poor weather in the mountains, her body was first moved to an open area for temporary placement, and she will be airlifted down the mountain once the weather stabilizes.
Wu Jiyun was climbing the Central Mountain Range solo and fell into a valley on the 19th near Bunjiushan on her way to Wushuangshe in Xinyi Township. The Nantou County Fire Bureau initiated land and air rescue efforts on the 20th but turned back due to bad weather. On the 21st, ground search personnel made contact with the victim at 12:10 pm, but she showed no signs of life.
Lin Cheng-yi pointed out that Wu Jiyun entered the mountain on January 11 from Dongpu, traveling via Batongguan, Bunjiushan, and Wushuangshe, planning to descend via the Jundai Forest Road on the 24th.
On the afternoon of the 19th, while passing through the section from Bunjiushan to Wushuangshe in Xinyi Township, she fell into a valley 20 to 30 meters deep. She was conscious, with injuries to her upper body and unable to move her lower body. She contacted the fire bureau through a liaison named Yang.
As the rescue mission required a two-day trek, the fire bureau applied for an aerial reconnaissance by helicopter on the 20th, planning to transport rescuers to the accident site. However, due to poor weather, the helicopter returned without completing the mission.
Ground teams advanced in two shifts of three people each. The first team reported at 9:37 am that they had not yet found the patient and continued searching. At 12:10 pm, they reached the coordinates where Wu had issued the distress call and made contact with her, but she had no signs of life.
Three weeks ago, Wu posted online admitting that during a 25-day mountain trek in December, she accidentally slipped several meters down a cliff, leaving her legs covered in cuts and bruises. “I really feel like I escaped death. My friends saw where I fell — stuck, then having to climb back up with all my gear. I really hoped for a miracle rescue. One wrong step and I would’ve fallen for real. I wasn’t faking it when I cried for ten minutes after calling for help on the satellite phone!” Unfortunately, she survived that incident but not this one.