While heavy rain battered the entire island, a 15-member hiking team from Tamkang University disregarded warnings from staff at the Shei-Pa National Park Guanwu Management Station on the morning of the 2nd and proceeded with their originally planned 3-day, 2-night trek along the Daba Route. However, around 3 p.m. that day, they were blocked by a landslide at the 8.8 km mark on the Eastern Section of the Dalu Forest Road and called for rescue from the Guanwu Management Station. Due to the severe weather, rescuers were unable to reach them. After confirming that all team members were safe and had sufficient food supplies, the team was led that night by staff at Jiujiu Mountain Lodge and hired high-altitude support personnel to a temporary work hut located 15 km away. After two days of waiting, on the morning of the 4th, the hiking team was safely escorted by rescuers and arrived at the Guanwu Station by noon, after which they returned home.
Zhuang Mingxian, head of the Fifth Brigade of the Taiwan Police Administration’s 7th Precinct, expressed special gratitude to those involved in the frontline rescue efforts, including the Shei-Pa National Park Guanwu Station, the 7th Precinct’s Guanwu Team, the Hsinchu Forest District Office, the Bunun Kalibuan Mountain Hiking Team, and the Miaoli County Fire Bureau’s Special Search Team, for ensuring the safe descent of the hiking team members.
The Miaoli County Fire Bureau stated that the hiking team had legally applied for entry permits upon entering the park, and since the area had not yet been officially closed to hikers at the time, the management station staff could only verbally advise against ascending due to poor weather conditions. However, they had no enforcement power and could not penalize the group. They could only urge hikers to pay attention to weather forecasts and carefully assess conditions before setting out.
The Shei-Pa National Park Administration noted that the hiking team—comprising nine men and six women divided into three groups totaling 15 people—had applied for a 3-day, 2-night trek along the Daba Route. They entered the park early on the morning of the 2nd. However, due to the influence of the southwest monsoon and a frontal system, management station staff had advised against entering the mountains, but the team insisted on proceeding.
Typically, hiking teams complete the 19 km-long Eastern Section of the Dalu Forest Road on the first day, then ascend another 4 km to Jiujiu Mountain Lodge for the night. However, this team’s progress was delayed by continuous rainfall, and around 3 p.m. on the 2nd, they became stranded at the 8.8 km mark due to a landslide and called for help from the Guanwu Management Station.
The Miaoli County Fire Bureau reported that when the team discovered the landslide at the 8.8 km mark, they began to backtrack, but encountered another landslide around the 2.3 km point. With blockages both ahead and behind, they called for assistance from the Shei-Pa administration. Personnel originally planned to reach the hikers by around 4 p.m. on the 2nd to escort them down, but were forced to stop at the 0.7 km mark due to yet another landslide.
Xu Weixiang, leader of the Miaoli County Fire Bureau’s Special Search Team, said that some students were slightly exhausted, and a few had minor injuries such as scraped feet, causing slower movement. However, all had since descended and were confirmed safe.
(China Times)