Three hikers encountered danger while trekking along Kangban Stream in Mawei, Fuzhou. One hiker suffered a fracture from a fall. Upon receiving the distress call, the Mountain Rescue Team of the Fujian Mountaineering Association promptly organized a nighttime rescue mission, heading deep into the mountains in the rain. Eventually, due to extremely poor visibility caused by thick fog, they had to retreat after an unsuccessful search. Yesterday, a second team of rescuers set out again, carrying the injured hiker down the perilous Kangban Stream and safely transporting them to the hospital for treatment.
Hiker with Fracture Trapped in Kangban Stream
“Kangban Stream is like a rose with thorns—very challenging,” a seasoned hiker told reporters. The stream boasts the most picturesque scenery along its route, making it highly popular among hikers, but the trail conditions are also harsh and fraught with danger.
“This route follows the creek valley,” the person explained. The surrounding mountains of Kangban Stream are only about 500–600 meters high and feature granite landforms. Though not particularly tall, the mountains display the rugged “iron bones” of granite, with large boulders scattered across the stream bed and numerous hidden rivers and pools. When encountering large water pools, hikers must detour uphill, then descend back into the creek. Moreover, there are many forks in the path, making it easy to lose direction. The main course of Kangban Stream is 10 kilometers long and takes about five hours to climb. The full route from Kangban Village to Kuan Village is around 18 kilometers but can take 8 to 10 hours. In rainy weather, hikers often cancel their trips due to the high risk.
The injured hiker, surnamed Ye, is a novice from Fuqing. On the morning of the 1st, he went to Kangban Stream with an experienced hiker and encountered another trekker along the way, joining forces with them. While advancing through the heart of Kangban Stream, the injured hiker slipped and fell off a rock face, suffering a fracture and becoming unable to walk. As it grew darker and heavy rain was imminent, the hikers initiated self-rescue: the teammate familiar with the mountain terrain went down first to seek help, while another stayed behind to care for the injured.
Rescuers Brave Rain and Search in the Dark to Determine Hiker’s Route
At around 6 p.m. on the 1st, after receiving the rescue request relayed by the police, six members of the Mountain Rescue Team headed toward Kangban Stream.
“We didn’t know the exact location. The information we had was that the hiker was somewhere in the middle section of Kangban Stream, so we could only search bit by bit,” said Liao Zhiwen, deputy leader of the Mountain Rescue Team involved in the operation. The rain continued unabated, and to make matters worse, thick fog rolled in, reducing visibility to less than a meter. Kangban Stream has several branches, and despite being guided by a hiker who had returned to seek help, the rescuers got separated. After hours of searching, they still hadn’t found the injured hiker.
The rescue team struggled through five or six kilometers in the rainy night, but the harsh natural conditions posed a serious danger. They decided to turn back at around 4 a.m. yesterday. Although they didn’t find the person this time, they largely determined the injured hiker’s route.
Clearing a Path and Carrying a Stretcher to Rescue the Injured Hiker
Yesterday morning, a second team of rescuers from the Provincial Mountain Rescue Team began assembling, and the Rainbow Rescue Team also joined the effort upon hearing the news. By around 12 p.m., near the second left fork of Kangban Stream, the search team finally reunited with the stranded hikers.
Rescue team members reported that the fallen hiker had injured their left calf, suspected to be either dislocated or fractured. They were semi-reclining in a niche under a cliff, accompanied by another hiker. A fire kept them warm through the night.
After examining the injuries, securing the fracture with a splint, lifting the hiker onto a semi-enclosed stretcher, and strapping them in securely, the team began the return journey. However, the wet and slippery boulders in the stream bed prevented the stretcher from passing at the base. The rescuers had to find an alternative route back.
“We brought several machetes, and a few of us went ahead to cut through brambles and clear a makeshift rescue path,” the rescuers explained. At around 4:30 p.m. yesterday, the joint rescue team reached an area in Kangban Village accessible by vehicle and subsequently transported the injured person to the hospital.
Reporters learned that thanks to the timely evacuation, the injured hiker’s condition was stabilized and is now relatively stable.