A hiker surnamed Chen entered the mountain at around 3 p.m. on the 10th through the hiking trail entrance at the back of Moru Alley in Shiding District, New Taipei City. He had originally planned to come down the mountain by the evening of the 10th. However, due to the approaching darkness and unfamiliarity with the mountain paths, Chen became stranded in the mountains and had not returned even after the expected time. With the winter cold front affecting various parts of Taiwan, temperatures in the Shiding mountain area suddenly dropped to 8 degrees Celsius. Chen’s family in Keelung, worried about his safety, called the Shiding substation for help. After the police contacted firefighting and rescue personnel to enter the mountain for a search, they made contact with Chen at 12 a.m. on the 11th and safely escorted him down the mountain, where he returned home unharmed.
Shiding substation received a report call from Chen’s family around 8:30 p.m. on the 10th, stating that Chen had entered the mountain at around 1 kilometer along Beixin 47 Road in Shiding District, at the back of Moru Alley, on the 10th, and was expected to come down the mountain by the afternoon of the 10th. However, he had not returned by the expected time. The caller was unsure of the hiker’s exact location in the mountains, and Chen’s mobile phone had gone to voicemail. With the sudden drop in mountain temperatures, the family was concerned for Chen’s safety due to the lost contact and requested police and firefighting assistance in the search.
The police immediately dispatched patrolling officers, including Shiding substation chief Zhou Yizhe and officer Xu Yuxiang, to the vicinity of the hiking trail entrance to locate the vehicle driven by the hiker surnamed Chen. They then notified the Fire Department to immediately activate the mountain rescue mechanism, dispatching personnel from the Shiding and Shenkeng fire stations as well as volunteer firefighters. Led by the squad leader of the Shiding fire station, Shiden and Shenkeng firefighters, together with Fengzilin Police Station Chief Ou Xianzong and Shiding substation officer Chen Zixuan, assembled at the Shiding fire station before departing for the hiking trail entrance to begin the search mission.
During the search, rescuers continuously tried to call the missing hiker. However, the hiker’s mobile phone battery was nearly depleted, and the mountain signal was poor. The Fire Department was then asked to use mobile phone positioning to determine the hiker’s coordinates, which revealed that he was near the betel nut grove at the back of Moru Alley. The Fire Department immediately contacted the on-site search team to redirect their efforts to the coordinate location.
Search personnel used firecrackers and the sound of the missing person’s calls for help to determine each other’s locations and confirm the direction of the individual. Around 12 a.m. on the 11th, rescuers found the lost hiker surnamed Chen on the mountainside slope. He was then escorted down the mountain by police and firefighters. The hiker sustained no injuries and has since reunited with his family, returning to their residence in Keelung.
(China Times)