A 48-year-old man surnamed Ye, taking advantage of the four-day New Year holiday, formed a hiking team with seven other friends to climb Snow Mountain’s main peak. At 11:49 a.m. on the first day, Ye slipped and fell 200 meters down a valley while crossing the Holy Ridge Trail. He called 112 himself to report the emergency. Rescuers located him in the valley that same day, but due to the late hour, they set up camp in the mountains for the night. On the second day, a Sea Gull helicopter successfully hoisted him to safety, and he is currently under observation in the hospital.
Ye has over 10 years of hiking experience. During the New Year break, he and his friends planned a five-day, four-night hiking trip with the goal of reaching the 3,000-meter summit of Snow Mountain’s main peak.
On the first day, as the group was traversing the Holy Ridge Trail, Ye lost his footing on the narrow, slippery path and fell directly into a 200-meter-deep valley. Fortunately, he landed on a small ledge. His friends quickly called 112 for help.
After receiving the report, the Taichung City Fire Bureau promptly dispatched personnel to the mountain. Rescuers found Ye by evening on the first day. Though in pain, he was conscious. Due to the darkness, the helicopter couldn’t perform a hoist rescue, so a police officer set up an emergency camp on the ledge, where the hiking team leader, Ye, and the officer spent the night in the mountains.
Early the next morning, rescuers carried Ye back to the Holy Ridge Trail and then moved him to the triangulation point of Pintian Mountain to request a Sea Gull helicopter for rescue. The helicopter hoisted him up and rushed him to the hospital.
Dr. Li Mingcan, an emergency physician at the children’s hospital, said that when Ye arrived at the hospital, he had noticeable bruises on all four limbs, a fractured right clavicle, and bruised left ribs. He was conscious and is now recuperating in a general ward. (Updated at 15:18)
(China Times)