A 62-year-old man surnamed Lin and his wife, surnamed Lai, recently went hiking on Guandao Mountain in Puli Township. After getting lost, Lin left his wife behind and attempted to descend into a valley to seek help but went missing. After four days of searching, rescuers found Lin’s body in the Shouguan Mountain valley. However, due to poor weather conditions, helicopters were unable to fly for a hoisting operation, so rescuers will carry the body down the mountain manually.
The couple, who live in Caotun Township, are avid hikers. They entered the mountains on the 18th intending to climb only Guandao Mountain. But on their descent near Shouguan Mountain at an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters, they got lost. On the afternoon of the 19th, Lin used his mobile phone to call the Nantou County Government Fire Bureau for help. Dozens of rescuers gathered at the Puli Township Central Monument and Puli Branch to begin the search. Spotting lights in the distance down the mountain, Lin insisted on descending to find a way out, leaving his wife, Lai, behind to spend the night alone in the mountains.
Lai was later found by police and volunteer firefighters and safely brought down the mountain, but Lin remained missing. Based on scrape marks on the ground, rescuers believed Lin might have descended into the valley to seek outside help. However, days of rain had made the paths slippery, increasing the difficulty of the search. At 8:13 a.m. on the 23rd, rescuers spotted signs of a fall about 300 meters from where Lai had been found. They rappelled across deep pools and cliffs before discovering Lin’s body.
Due to continuous rainfall and heavy fog in the mountains, helicopters were unable to operate. Rescue team members decided to carry the body down the mountain manually.