The Hualien County Fire Bureau received a report at 5:30 p.m. the day before yesterday stating that a female hiker surnamed Li had been descending from the Qilai Mountain Lodge and was on her way to the Success Mountain Lodge when she reportedly lost her way and fell into a valley, becoming trapped.
At that time, Ms. Li was conscious and called for help on her own. She said she had fallen into a valley while climbing Mount Qilai, injuring both her hands and feet. She was trapped alone on a gravel slope, unable to move, and had no companions with her.
Ms. Li was conscious at the time and called for help on her own. She said she had fallen into a valley while climbing Mount Qilai, injuring both her hands and feet. She was trapped alone on a gravel slope, unable to move, and had no fellow hikers with her, prompting her to request rescue to get out of the situation.
Upon receiving the report, the Hualien County Fire Bureau immediately dispatched search and rescue personnel and coordinated with the Taroko National Park Administration and the park police to conduct an overnight mountain rescue operation. They first asked the male guide surnamed Huang and other hikers at the Qilai Mountain Lodge to search the area nearby. Yesterday morning, they also requested aerial support from the Air Rescue Squadron’s helicopter, in coordination with ground personnel to continue the search.
At 10:40 a.m. yesterday, the Black Hawk helicopter spotted the female hiker surnamed Li at the base of a cliff below the dry gully at the 5.8-kilometer point along the gravel slope section near Success Fort. Unfortunately, she was confirmed to have already passed away. Her body was immediately lifted and transported to the Nantou County Stadium, where authorities will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.