Xu Chuansiu (61), who works in medical administration and went hiking alone at Fushan Botanical Garden in Yilan County (second from right in the photo below, photo by Lai Bingjun), went missing after entering the park on the morning of the 11th. The next day, his family urgently asked the police and fire departments of Yilan County and New Taipei City to assist in the search. Yesterday afternoon, the Yilan County Fire Department found Xu on a trail near Zhiliangjiu Mountain. The physically weak Xu said after being rescued that he had survived these past few days on a pack of soda crackers and sheer willpower. When asked about his lucky rescue, he repeatedly expressed thanks for everyone’s concern.
Xu Chuansiu (61), who works in medical administration, had previously hiked with friends in Wulai but turned back upon reaching the Hupen Nature Reserve due to rain. In order to fulfill his wish of hiking from Wulai to Yilan, Xu applied to enter the mountain through Fushan Botanical Garden, planning to walk for about three hours to reach the Hupen Nature Reserve. Unexpectedly, he lost his way after entering the mountain, became trapped in the woods, and had no way to call for help.
After receiving a report from Xu’s family, Yilan County police and firefighters searched for three consecutive days. At around 1:30 p.m. yesterday, rescuers found Xu, but he had suffered a head injury. Fortunately, he was conscious and, with the help of rescuers, walked to a nearby shelter for helicopter rescue. He was transferred to Yangming Branch of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital for emergency treatment at around 4 p.m. yesterday.
Xu said that while lost in the mountains, he survived by eating a quarter of a soda cracker per meal. Although he accidentally fell into a valley and hit the back of his head on a rock, injuring himself, he still grabbed onto tree branches to climb up, enduring with the willpower to “stay alive,” and was eventually successfully rescued.
Dr. Zhu Guanghui, the attending physician in the emergency room at Yangming Hospital, said Xu had a laceration about five to six centimeters long on his head, slight bruises and some abrasions on the right side of his chest, and mild dehydration. However, detailed injuries needed to be confirmed after X-ray reports came out to determine whether his skull was affected.