A woman surnamed Chan from Taipei City went hiking in Taoyuan Valley, Yilan on the 23rd, but lost her way while descending and strayed off the trail. After receiving the report, the Yilan County Fire Department and other units launched a rescue operation and located Chan yesterday. Although she had been missing for three days, she managed to sustain herself with stream water and rice balls, and was luckily rescued on Christmas Day.
Chan set out alone at 9 a.m. on the 23rd from the parking lot opposite Daxi in Toucheng Township, Yilan County, heading toward Taoyuan Valley. After walking about 2 kilometers downhill, she became disoriented and strayed from the trail. By 1 p.m., she had completely lost her sense of direction. Before her phone ran out of battery, she quickly contacted her sister via Line and asked her to report the situation and seek help.
After receiving the report, the fire department dispatched over 20 personnel for the search, with the Forestry Bureau and the Kavalan Rescue Association also joining the effort. Since the area where Chan went missing is located at the border of Yilan County and New Taipei City, the New Taipei City Fire Department also sent personnel to assist in the search.
However, rescuers searched extensively but could not find Chan, who had wandered off the trail. It wasn’t until yesterday morning that Chan spotted other hikers, borrowed a phone, and called to report her location—1.5 kilometers along the Daxi Trail—and that she could walk down on her own. The fire department rendezvoused with her 20 minutes later and escorted her down the mountain to receive medical attention.
After being rescued, Chan revealed that during the 3 days and 2 nights in the mountains, she followed the stream to walk, and after finishing her bottled water, she filled up with stream water to stay hydrated. When hungry, she ate small bites of a rice ball to stave off hunger, and spent nights near the stream bed. She also used paper as markers, hoping that if someone found the paper, they would also find her.
Although she had been missing for three days, after being examined at Yangming University Hospital, Chan was conscious and only had a minor abrasion on her right elbow, with no other serious injuries.