A group of seven hikers, led by a man surnamed Shen, embarked on a mountain climbing trip. One teammate, surnamed Yu, experienced abdominal pain but was only cared for by another teammate, surnamed Jian. Yu later became critically ill and died. The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office concluded its investigation and indicted five people, including Shen, on charges of negligent homicide.
The indictment from the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office stated that Shen served as the leader of the mountaineering team. In January 2012, he led his teammates from Nanheng Meishan in Kaohsiung City into the mountains to engage in climbing activities in the "Nan Yi Duan" area.
When the team arrived at the Xishannan Mountain entrance, teammate Yu fell behind due to abdominal pain and exhaustion. He rested at the campsite accompanied only by Jian. However, Shen and the other five hikers did not wait for them and instead set up camp about an hour’s hike away at a container hut to eat and rest.
The indictment said that Jian and Yu still had not arrived at the container hut to rejoin the group. Teammate Chen, aware that Yu was unwell, suggested turning back to help him descend. However, this was harshly criticized by teammate Fang. Jian once descended in the dark to find Shen and the others for assistance, but they only passively provided painkillers before continuing on to the endpoint. Jian later went down the mountain to report the incident.
The indictment stated that after receiving the report, the Liugui Branch of the Kaohsiung City Police Department launched a search and rescue operation. When they reached Yu’s campsite, they found that he had died from acute peritonitis leading to septic shock. The case was subsequently taken up by prosecutors for investigation.
After concluding their investigation, the prosecutors determined that Shen and the other five individuals, while mountaineering together, held a “position of guarantee” to support one another as teammates. Failing to actively assist in this mutual responsibility, they were indicted on charges of negligent homicide. 1030430
(CNA)