More than a hundred hikers climbed Yiwulu Mountain (also known as Lüshan), but when it got dark, only about 90 had descended, leaving six men and five women lost and stranded in the mountains.
After nearly seven hours of intensive search efforts, police finally located the 11 stranded hikers at around 2 a.m. the next day. When found, the only lighting device they had was a small flashlight. Having run out of drinking water, they survived by eating snow.
19:08
Eleven hikers stranded on Yiwulu Mountain
"Help! Help！ We have 11 people trapped in the mountains, and their lives are in danger!" At around 7 p.m. on March 1, police officers at Beijie Police Station of Jinzhou Public Security Bureau’s Guta Sub-bureau received a distress call.
The caller, a man, said that his group of over a hundred local hikers had organized a mountain trek across Yiwulu Mountain via a QQ group, but during the hike, 11 people—six men and five women—got separated and were stranded. The trapped hikers’ mobile phones were still working. They said, "We don’t even know exactly where we are. We’re surrounded by cliffs and snow, some team members have been injured from falls, and it’s very difficult to get down."
22:45
Police search for hikers in the dark
According to Beijie Police Station officers, the hiking group had originally planned to hike on foot from Lengjiagou in Yixian County to Longgangzi in Beizhen on March 1, crossing Yiwulu Mountain from west to east. Based on the estimated walking time of the main group, the 11 stranded hikers were roughly located in the deep mountains near Longgangzi in Beizhen. The Guta police then reported the situation to Jinzhou Public Security Bureau, requesting assistance from both Yixian and Beizhen police, and also contacted the Jinzhou Mountaineering Association for technical and equipment support. They then drove to Lengjiagou in Yixian County with rescue gear.
Yiwulu Mountain has a maximum elevation of 866 meters and covers an area of 630 square kilometers, with rugged mountain paths throughout. By the time the police reached the vicinity of the stranded location, it was almost 11 p.m. It was pitch black in the mountains, and the stranded hikers were in an area with poor signal, making it difficult for them to pinpoint their own location.
The police had to gather nearby villagers familiar with the terrain and formed several five-person search teams to comb the mountains.
12:15 a.m.
Flashlight beams and whistles help locate the group
The ice-covered snow on the slopes slowed the rescuers’ progress. After nearly two hours of difficult searching, one rescue team heard “toot—toot—” whistle sounds at around 12:15 a.m. on March 2.
"It must be the stranded hikers!" After determining the direction of the sound, the rescuers narrowed the search area and eventually spotted a faint light under a large rock—the six men and five women were huddled together under the rock, taking turns whistling and trying to keep warm.
"We’re exhausted, and some of us are injured from falls!" The stranded hikers, still shivering, had not yet calmed down from the tense situation when they saw the rescuers.
2:07 a.m.
All stranded hikers rescued
"Here’s some food and water. Have some to regain your strength." After checking, the rescuers found that several of the stranded individuals, mostly women, had injured their feet from falls.
Soon, several rescue teams regrouped. After giving the injured basic treatment, the rescuers took turns carrying the stranded hikers down the mountain.
At around 2:10 a.m., all 11 lost hikers were rescued and taken to a bus heading for downtown Jinzhou. After examination, apart from exhaustion, none of the stranded individuals were seriously injured.
Hikers ate snow and huddled for warmth
Yesterday morning, reporters from Beiguowang and Liao Shen Evening News contacted Ms. Hu, one of the stranded hikers.
Ms. Hu explained that they had been moving with the group, but midway, a hiking “novice” twisted an ankle, and the group slowed down to take care of the injured person, which caused them to fall behind and get lost.
Ms. Hu said that after realizing they were separated, the six men and five women had hoped they could catch up with the main group by “going by feel,” but night fell quickly. With only a small flashlight for light, they soon got lost. As they searched for a way down, the weather grew colder. The 11 hikers grew more and more exhausted, and eventually, they found a large rock to huddle under for warmth and shelter from the wind, while taking turns whistling for rescue.
"We were tired, thirsty, and cold—we were numb from the cold," Ms. Hu recalled. It was freezing in the mountains at night, they had run out of water, and many had to eat snow to quench their thirst. Everyone was in a panic. "We won’t take such risks again!"
On September 24, 2013, seven hikers from Dalian were crossing the Wolf Tower C route of Tianshan Mountain when a team member known as “Captain” suffered a perforated stomach and was in critical condition. A rescue helicopter from a certain aviation brigade of the Xinjiang Military Region was urgently dispatched to fly the captain to the Xinjiang Military Region General Hospital for emergency treatment.