The Taichung City Fire Department received a report yesterday evening that a hiker had gone missing on Tangmading Mountain in Heping District. Rescue personnel were immediately dispatched to search the mountain, and the hiker was found trapped on a cliff early this morning. After an all-night effort to free him, he was escorted down the mountain.
The department received a report from a hiking team at around 5 p.m. yesterday, stating that a group of five men and two women had entered Tangmading Mountain through the Songhe Tribe hiking entrance. After reaching Butterfly Valley, a male hiker surnamed Liu went ahead on his own via a water route, while the rest of the group lost contact with him at the 1.5 km mark. Despite searching the area for about two hours, they found no trace of him.
At around 6 p.m. yesterday, the Heping Branch of the Fire Department, together with two forestry officials who are also hikers, set out from the hiking entrance. Rescue personnel reached the hikers at the 3.5 km point of the Butterfly Valley Trail and first guided the six hikers to descend. Other rescuers then split into two teams to search the Butterfly Valley Trail and Tangmading Mountain separately.
The fire department stated that rescuers found the missing hiker trapped on a cliff at 10:07 p.m. last night. He appeared to be in good condition. After 40 minutes of effort, they managed to free the hiker surnamed Liu and brought him to the 3.5 km point of the Butterfly Valley Trail near 1 a.m. At 1:31 a.m., he arrived at the parking lot. Although he had a torn right big toe, he refused medical treatment and left on his own with a friend. 1060314
(CNA)