On the 26th, a hiker was struck by lightning on Dongjun Dashan in the Central Mountain Range. A team of fourteen hikers from northern Taiwan had just set out from their campsite in the morning when they encountered a thunderstorm. After a flash of lightning, team leader Hsu Wen-liang and female team member Lin Chun-mei collapsed. Rescue teams from Nantou County Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the mountain, with a trek estimated to take four to five days. The National Search and Rescue Command Center has been requested to send a helicopter for support. Yesterday, due to heavy rain and severe weather in the mountains, the helicopter was unable to carry out the rescue mission. Today, deployment will be reconsidered based on conditions.
Police investigations show that the hiking team is part of the Taipei Mountain Association and was recruited online by Hsu Wen-liang. They entered the Central Mountain Range from Ruisui, Hualien on the 20th, planning to exit via the Jundai Forest Road on the New Central Cross-Island Highway on the 29th, with the hike lasting a total of ten days. The night before last, they camped at the North Saddle Campsite of Dongjun Dashan within Xinyi Township. Yesterday morning, they broke camp and were following their plan to descend over three to four days when they were hit by lightning around 9 a.m.
According to current information from the fire department, 62-year-old Hsu Wen-liang, who resides in Zhongli, sustained lightning strike wounds to his left neck and right leg. He initially fell into a state of severe shock but later regained slight consciousness, though he is paralyzed from the waist down. Lin Chun-mei, 53, from Taipei City, suffered minor injuries, dizziness, and is in a state of shock.
Yesterday, another hiker, a 56-year-old surnamed Huang, was climbing Nanhua Dashan when he reportedly suffered from altitude sickness and developed pulmonary edema, leaving him unable to continue ascending. He remained stranded at Yunleng Mountain Hut, which sits at an altitude of about 3,400 meters. Fellow hikers reported the situation and called 119 for rescue. Rescue personnel arrived at the hut last night and confirmed that Huang’s condition had improved. He stayed overnight at the hut, and today, depending on weather conditions, arrangements will be made to evacuate him by helicopter.