The Miaoli County Fire Bureau reported today that on the evening of the 14th, they received a report from the public about a 16-year-old vocational high school student surnamed Lin from Tai’an Township who had gotten lost while hiking. Rescue personnel were immediately dispatched to search the mountain. After two days and one night, the student managed to walk down the mountain alone. His parents, seeing their child safe and sound, burst into tears on the spot.
The Lin family lives in Tai’an Township, and the student is of indigenous descent. His mother said that in the past, he had hiked alone in nearby mountainous areas, but this time he had gone up the mountain at around 5 a.m. on the 14th and had not been seen since the evening, which caused her great worry and fear.
The Miaoli County Fire Bureau dispatched nearly 30 police, volunteer firefighters, and rescue personnel overnight, entering the mountain from Hushan and Henglong Ancient Trail respectively. The route was fraught with either rapid streams or steep cliffs. Before finding the student, at around 1 a.m., they unexpectedly came across a couple who were also lost.
This couple, who live in Taichung, had originally planned to hike in Tai’an as well but ended up losing their way. Fortunately, in the jungle at night, they spotted the flashlight beams of the rescue team and were luckily rescued.
The firefighters then split into two groups—one to escort the lost couple down the mountain and the other to continue searching for the student. It wasn’t until the afternoon of the second day that news came: the Lin student had walked down the mountain on his own, encountered a kind restaurant owner who treated him to a meal, and was then picked up by rescue personnel.
Seeing their child safe and unharmed, the Lin parents rushed forward to embrace him, overjoyed and in tears. His mother, upon learning that her son had spent the night alone in the mountains, praised him as “amazing, totally deserves a million likes.” His father, however, hopes that he won’t cause his family such worry again.
The Lin student explained that he got lost because he ventured into unfamiliar mountainous terrain. Fortunately, he saw a water pipe by the trail and managed to follow it down the mountain. Despite this, Captain Kuang Meng-lin of the Miaoli County Fire Bureau’s Third Brigade still reminded the student and his parents that it’s best to carry proper gear and hike with companions to avoid accidents. 1050516
(Central News Agency)