Three firefighters from the Taipei City Fire Department took advantage of the 228 holiday to hike up South Erzi Mountain in Hualien. However, on just the second day of the trip, Li Ying-hsun (from the Shuangxi Branch) went missing after searching for a water source. The Hualien County Fire Department and the Taipei City Fire Department formed a search and rescue team, which today dispatched a total of four squads comprising 34 personnel via helicopter to conduct a ground search on the mountain.
The three firefighters from the Taipei City Fire Department—Tsai Chih-cheng (Jingmei Branch), Lin Keng-wei (Wanhua Squadron), and Li Ying-hsun (Shuangxi Branch)—set off early on February 28th by ascending the Shoufeng River in Hualien. They set up camp that night at an altitude of 580 meters. On the second day, they camped at 1,050 meters. Around 4 p.m. that afternoon, Li went to look for a water source but failed to return or make contact. The other two searched the area for a whole day without success. At 5 p.m. on the 2nd, they reported the case to the Xilin Police Station of Hualien’s Fenglin Precinct and notified Li’s family.
As the disappearance entered its third day, the Hualien County Fire Department and Taipei City Fire Department, among others, formed a search and rescue team. To save time, they dispatched four squads totaling 34 personnel via helicopter today. The rescue team includes experienced mountain youths and rangers familiar with the terrain, as well as rescue personnel with extensive hiking experience, all conducting a thorough ground search for the missing man.
Since it takes an estimated five hours to walk from the trailhead to the area near where the firefighter went missing, and given that South Erzi Mountain features steep terrain with slopes of over 60 degrees in many areas, along with multiple collapsed cliffs, the rescue mission is highly challenging. Additionally, two special search and rescue members were injured—struck by falling rocks and suffering from a sprained arm due to a slip. They were airlifted by helicopter for medical treatment around 3 p.m.
Wu Tai-?, deputy director of the Hualien County Fire Department, stated that based on GPS satellite phone positioning, the initial judgment is that the missing man, Li, may have been at the trailhead near the confluence of the Chakan River and Chujian River in Wanrong Township. Search and rescue personnel began searching from an altitude of 580 meters, then hiked along the original trail up to 1,050 meters, and also descended to search for possible water sources. Although some freshly stepped footprints were found in the valley, the missing Li has still not been found after a full day of searching. The team continues to search back and forth in hopes of locating the missing person as soon as possible.
(China Times)