Yen, a resident of Sandimen Township in Pingtung County, and several companions climbed Damaumu Mountain, which stands over 2,000 meters above sea level, to forage for medicinal herbs. Yen suffered a gout attack and was unable to walk, so his companions went down the mountain first to seek police help. Yesterday morning, the Air Rescue Squadron of the Air Force’s 3rd Special Operations Group bravely dispatched a helicopter to rescue him by hoist and transport him to the hospital for treatment.
The 3rd Special Operations Group of the Air Rescue Squadron stated that the 49-year-old Yen and five or six others, including a villager surnamed Dai, had gone to Damaumu Mountain at the border of Sandimen and Wutai townships several days ago to gather herbs. On the 15th, Yen suddenly suffered a gout attack, and his companion, surnamed Dai, went down the mountain to report the incident.
After receiving the report, the National Search and Rescue Center immediately coordinated with police and firefighters to search the mountain on the 18th, but it wasn’t until noon on the 19th that they found Yen in a valley on Damaumu Mountain. The 3rd Special Operations Group of the Air Rescue Squadron also promptly dispatched a helicopter, but due to the extreme depth of the valley, insufficient power, and weather conditions, they were unable to perform the hoist rescue. Yesterday morning, when the weather in the mountains improved, the Air Rescue Squadron dispatched the helicopter again and successfully rescued Yen, transporting him to the hospital for medical treatment.
The man rescued yesterday is suspected of having ventured up the mountain in search of antrodia cinnamomea. Damaumu Mountain, being such a high-altitude peak, is only climbable by elite-level experts—not a place ordinary people would typically risk ascending.