The Nantou County Fire Department received three consecutive hiking rescue calls this afternoon. At one point, over ten people on the Hehuan Mountain Range were reported needing help, but fortunately they were just late to regroup. Meanwhile, a man suffered a foot injury while hiking in the Ganziowan Mountain area and required assistance.
The Nantou County Government Fire Department's Disaster Relief and Ambulance Command Section received three hiking rescue reports between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. An 18-person hiking team from Taipei entered the mountains on the 16th. While returning today, a 65-year-old man surnamed Tsai slipped and fell in the Ganziowan Mountain area, fracturing his right ankle and leaving him unable to walk. The team guide reported the incident, and with the injured person’s consent, the group stayed overnight at the Shilijih Campsite.
The Nantou County Fire Department explained that the area features steep terrain and dense forest, making helicopter hoist rescues difficult. Considering the risks of nighttime rescue operations in rugged mountain areas and with the consent of the injured, they plan to gather personnel and carry medical equipment and a flexible stretcher to the site tomorrow morning to evacuate the injured for medical treatment. The round trip is estimated to take two days.
In the evening, the Nantou County Fire Department also received a report that 17 people had taken a tour bus to Hehuan Mountain to hike the route from Hehuan North Peak to West Peak. Five of them, citing exhaustion, descended early and arranged to meet the other 12 at 6 p.m. However, when the 12 did not show up past the agreed time, the waiting teammates reported the situation. Fortunately, by 7:34 p.m., the remaining 12 hikers finally appeared, defusing a tense situation.
The Nantou County Fire Department also noted that they received a report from concerned hikers who said four women “appeared” to be exhausted on the Hehuan North Peak to West Peak route, prompting the hikers to seek help on their behalf. However, as mobile signals were available in the area and the fire department did not receive any direct calls for help from the four women, and the women mentioned they had teammates behind them, it is believed they were part of the same 17-person group.
The Hehuan Mountain peaks have recently seen blooming alpine azaleas, which not only led to serious traffic congestion and illegal parking during holidays, but also caused many visitors to underestimate hiking risks. There were rescue cases involving hikers lost on the Hehuan Mountain peaks on both the 15th and 18th. Today’s case with the 17-person hiking team fortunately turned out to be a false alarm. 1050521
(CNA)