The Red River Valley in Wulai District, New Taipei City, suffered severe landslides during Typhoon Soudelor two years ago and has yet to fully recover. At around 8 a.m. on the 8th of this month, 12 hikers with an average age of 55 set out from Xiangshan’s Xiongkong to hike to Wulai’s Red River Valley. Due to changes in the landscape, they became lost. The fire department was alerted and dispatched a large number of police, firefighters, and volunteers to search the mountains. At around 9 a.m. on the 9th, all 12 were finally found and successfully rescued and brought down the mountain.
The police and fire departments received reports from the hikers’ families on the evening of the 8th, stating that the 12 had left early in the morning for the hike and were expected to return home around 5 p.m., but they had not been seen and could not be reached by phone. Authorities immediately deployed a large team to search for them, approaching from both Xiangshan and Wulai. Because the hiking trails along the Red River Valley had been severely damaged by Typhoon Soudelor two years ago, the rescue mission faced numerous challenges.
With the help of local volunteer firefighters familiar with the area, authorities continued searching deep into the mountains and finally located the 12 at around 9 a.m. on the 9th. All were safe and sound, and by 10 a.m., they had all been successfully brought down the mountain and returned home.
Hsiao Likai, head of the Fire Department’s 4th Disaster Relief and Ambulance Brigade, said the group of hikers had an average age of about 55 and did not carry enough drinking water, food, or warm clothing. Fortunately, the weather had been stable recently; otherwise, exposure to low temperatures or heavy mountain rains could have increased the difficulty of the rescue and even posed life-threatening risks. He urged the public to carry sufficient rations, drinking water, and warm clothing when hiking, as well as to check local hiking information in advance to avoid accidents.
(China Times)