A 57-year-old man surnamed Jian from New Taipei City headed up Huangdi Temple in Shiding District alone around 10 a.m. yesterday (30th). While descending in the evening, he got lost. He called the fire department to report the incident and sent back a photo of his location via LINE, allowing rescuers to identify the area where he was stranded based on the landmarks in the image and successfully rescue him.
The fire department stated that Jian mentioned in the call that he only knew he was heading down from Huangdi Temple toward Niaozuijian. The Shiding Fire Sub-bureau asked him if he could use the LINE messaging app and requested he take and send back a photo of his surroundings. Jian immediately took a picture next to a high-voltage power tower and a maintenance platform.
As Huangdi Temple has become a popular hiking spot in recent years, with frequent incidents of hikers getting lost, the Shiding Fire Station set up signs with identification numbers across the mountain area three years ago under the leadership of Chief Huang Qingquan. Firefighters were able to quickly identify Jian’s location from the photo he sent and found him around 8 p.m., successfully rescuing him. This case highlights the increasingly diverse methods used in modern search and rescue operations, showing how technology can enhance the effectiveness of rescue missions.
Hsiao Likai, head of the Fourth Disaster Relief and Ambulance Brigade, urged the public not to hike alone and to carry adequate dry food, drinking water, and warm clothing. In case of getting lost, hikers should seek areas with good mobile phone reception and provide rescuers with detailed information about their location and visible landmarks to expedite the search and rescue process.
(China Times)