The Hualien County Fire Bureau received a report at 2 p.m. on the 27th that a 60-year-old female hiker surnamed Peng had fallen into a valley near the main peak of Qilai Mountain and gone missing. A five-person rescue team has been dispatched to enter the mountain for emergency rescue.
The first division chief of the Hualien County Fire Bureau, Li Longsheng, said that the three-person hiking team from Taipei City entered the mountain from Songxue Building in Hehuan Mountain on the 26th. They planned to climb the Qilai Mountain range and then return the same way. However, at around 2 p.m. on the 27th, while traveling from the main peak of Qilai toward Kaluolou Mountain, Ms. Peng is suspected to have slipped and fallen into a valley due to slippery terrain. Due to visibility in the mountain area being only 100 meters, her teammates could not see her and got no response despite calling out to her.
Li Longsheng said that due to fog in the mountains, helicopter rescue was not possible. A five-person team has currently been sent into the mountain, hoping to reach the Qilai Mountain hut by evening to meet up with other hikers, and then proceed to the accident site for search and rescue the following morning.
(China Times)