A man surnamed Ye from northern Taiwan who was hiking in Heping District, Taichung City, fell into a valley yesterday. With snow covering the mountain area, firefighters faced great challenges and finally managed to carry the injured man to the mountaintop today before rescuing him via helicopter.
The Taichung City Government Fire Bureau’s Second Disaster Relief and Ambulance Division received a report around noon on the 1st. A hiking group led by guide surnamed Jia had a member, a man surnamed Ye, who fell about 30 meters down a cliff on Pingtian Mountain in Heping District. The injured man was not visible to the naked eye, and the fall occurred near the side of Dabajianshan. Rescue was requested.
The fire bureau immediately applied for helicopter support and dispatched four personnel from the first team of the Lishan Branch to the scene for rescue. When the helicopter arrived, poor weather conditions prevented a hoist rescue. It then flew to the Fushoushan helipad to pick up the first team before advancing overland to conduct the rescue.
Rescue personnel made contact with the injured man at 4:29 p.m. yesterday. After Chen Yirui rappelled down to the site to assess the patient, it was found that the man had multiple rib and right scapula fractures as well as a 3 cm laceration on the head. The location where the man was trapped was not suitable for hoisting, so he needed to be moved to an open area. However, the injured man said the pain was unbearable and he could not be moved.
Rescuers determined that the slope where the man had fallen was steep and treacherous and that it was getting dark, so they decided to set up an emergency camp at the fall site on Pingtian Cliff for the night. They provided the injured with warmth and food and planned to continue the rescue the next day, coordinating with a second team of rescuers to perform snow rope rescue techniques in the snowy terrain.
Early this morning, an Air Force helicopter carried four rescuers from the second team of the Heping Branch to Xinda Mountain Hut for the rescue mission and transported pain relief medication up the mountain. Due to snow-covered paths and difficult terrain, rescuers used snow rescue skills along with local assistance to carry the injured to the ridgeline and then move him to Pingtian Mountain’s main peak. At 11 a.m., the Sea Gull helicopter successfully hoisted the man and transported him to Taichung’s ChingChuanKang Airport, after which he was sent to Wujhi Tong General Hospital for treatment. 1040102
(CNA)