A hiker surnamed Du was found in a coma this morning at the Heishuitang mountain hut in Sioulin Township, Hualien County, suspected of suffering from acute altitude sickness. The Air Force dispatched a rescue helicopter and successfully carried out the evacuation.
The Ministry of National Defense announced in a press release today that at 4:11 a.m., they received a report from the National Search and Rescue Center stating that hiker Du, at an altitude of approximately 2,700 meters at the Heishuitang mountain hut in Sioulin Township, Hualien County, was suspected of having acute altitude sickness and was in urgent need of medical treatment. The request was made for military helicopter support for an evacuation mission.
The Ministry of National Defense noted that upon receiving the report, they immediately ordered an S-70C helicopter with tail number K-493 from the Air Force’s Chiayi base to carry out the rescue mission. The helicopter took off from Chiayi base at 5:24 a.m., entered the target area at 5:58 a.m., successfully hoisted the patient at 6:20 a.m., and landed back at Chiayi base at 6:49 a.m. The patient was then transferred by ambulance from the Chiayi County Fire Department to Chiayi Branch of Taichung Veterans General Hospital for treatment. 1020526
(Central News Agency)