A woman surnamed Zhang from Taichung was climbing alone in the southern section of the Central Mountain Range. On the 18th, she arrived in Xinyi Township but, due to overnight rain, attempted to keep warm by starting a fire in her tent, which unfortunately caught fire and was destroyed. She also suffered from hypothermia. At 12:20 p.m. on the 19th, an Air Rescue Corps helicopter successfully airlifted her and transported her to Taichung Airport.
Zhang reported to the fire department that she had entered the mountains alone on March 13 from Ruisui in Hualien to climb the southern section of the Central Mountain Range. While passing the triangulation point of Benxiang Mountain in Xinyi Township, Nantou County, due to rain the previous night, she tried to keep warm by starting a fire inside her tent, which accidentally burned down. Her clothes also got wet, resulting in hypothermia. Fearing for her life, she urgently needed rescue.
After receiving the report, the Nantou County Fire Bureau immediately applied to the National Fire Agency for helicopter rescue and asked the Xinyi Fire Station to organize a search and rescue team to enter the mountains.
At 11:55 a.m. today, Air Rescue AN701 carried out a rescue mission and successfully airlifted the woman by helicopter at 12:20 p.m., transporting her to Taichung Airport, where she was sent to the hospital for treatment.
The Nantou County Fire Bureau stated that in the case of the female hiker who climbed the southern section of the Central Mountain Range alone, the fact that she did not apply for mountain entry (or park access) as required will be handled by the relevant police authorities and national park agencies in accordance with the National Park Law, the Regulations Governing the Entry and Exit of People into Mountainous Restricted Areas in Taiwan, and other related laws.
As Nantou County has not yet announced controlled mountain areas or the minimum insurance amount for comprehensive mountaineering insurance, it has been assessed that penalties or written orders to bear the costs of the rescue operation cannot yet be issued.
(China Times)