On the 22nd, five hikers set out on foot from Ganluo County in Liangshan to hike and camp in the Ma’anshan Nature Reserve. Due to heavy snow blocking the mountain paths and thick fog, they lost their way and were trapped in the mountains. In a critical moment, they used the weak signal on their mobile phones to call the provincial public security department's emergency center: “Come and save us, we only have five steamed buns left!” Yesterday morning, after receiving the alarm, Ganluo County urgently dispatched a search and rescue team to look for them in the mountains, and the five were successfully rescued.
At around 11:30 p.m. last night, reporters from Chengdu Business Daily learned that the five hikers had returned home safely one after another.
Emergency search and rescue through 30–40 cm of snow
At 2:37 p.m. yesterday, the official Weibo account of Ganluo County in Liangshan, “Weiganluo,” released a message stating that on the morning of March 24, 2014, information received from the Liangshan Prefecture Public Security Bureau Command Center reported an incident where five people had been trapped while spontaneously hiking in the Ma’anshan area of Ganluo County. The hikers had set out from Ganluo County on March 22, 2014, for a hiking and camping trip. They entered the mountains via the Lare Forest Area of Ganluo County and had hiked for two days before the sudden change in mountain weather, with heavy snow blocking the paths and thick fog all around, causing them to lose their direction. At the time of being trapped, the five only had a few steamed buns left, their outer clothing was completely soaked and frozen, making survival difficult and preventing them from descending the mountain.
After receiving the information, Ganluo County quickly mobilized relevant departments to carry out rescue efforts. At around 8 p.m. last night, reporters from Chengdu Business Daily contacted Chen Wu, deputy captain of the Ganluo County Public Security Narcotics Brigade and a member of the rescue team at the front line. According to him, at 11:50 a.m. yesterday, they and 14 others set out for the forested area of the Ma’anshan Nature Reserve. “The fog in the forested area was very thick, and the snow on the ground was 30–40 cm deep,” Chen Wu said. They had been walking in the forested area for over seven hours. Meanwhile, the rescuers also used satellite phones to contact the trapped individuals, guiding them toward a safe path down the mountain, while another group of rescuers headed to meet them.
So many people came to rescue us, we feel really bad
At around 7:30 p.m. last night, the front-line rescuers met up with the five hikers. After confirming they were in good health, they descended the mountain together. At 9 p.m. last night, rescue team member Aguangmuyubo stated, “The five hikers who were trapped and called for help are safe and are now on their way down the mountain. There are no major issues.”
It is understood that the Ma’anshan Nature Reserve is located in the southeastern part of Ganluo County, with an altitude of 4,288 meters. According to veteran hiker Gudaolun, the mountain weather is highly changeable, and it is easy to get lost due to heavy fog.
At around 9 p.m. last night, a reporter from Chengdu Business Daily contacted one of the hikers named Song Huahui. According to her, the group consisted of three men and two women. In fact, by the afternoon of the 22nd, they had basically been unable to continue due to the snow-blocked mountain paths, but they kept going. By the morning of the 23rd, their clothes began to freeze, their food supplies were running low, and everyone was getting anxious, so they called for help using their mobile phones. Another hiker, Liu Guobing, explained that due to the snowfall, drop in temperature, and subsequent fog, they had taken the wrong direction. He expressed deep gratitude to the rescuers: “So many people worked so hard to come and save us, we feel really bad.”