A woman trapped alone on Wufeng Mountain has been rescued, with no one having reached the summit in 37 years.
After 20 hours of intense search and rescue efforts, at 6:30 p.m. yesterday, Lei Shanshan, a 26-year-old woman trapped at the top of Wufeng Mountain in Miyun, was finally successfully rescued. In their effort to find her, rescuers combed through all five peaks of Wufeng Mountain, also setting a record of no one having summited in 37 years.
At 10:30 p.m. the previous night, the Miyun Teshitun Fire Station suddenly received a dispatch from the command center reporting that a girl was trapped on Wufeng Mountain in Teshitun Town. Upon receiving the call, firefighters quickly rushed to the scene for the rescue. After contacting the caller, they learned that the trapped girl, Lei Shanshan, was a resident of Xiaocao Village in Teshitun Town. She had entered the mountain area that morning but, without a mobile phone, was unable to contact her family. Even more worrying was the fact that she had no food with her and only carried a bottle of mineral water.
Local villagers explained that Wufeng Mountain consists of five peaks and is an unspoiled, naturally formed mountain, characterized by rugged terrain, dense thickets, and steep cliffs. Firefighters immediately began searching each of the five peaks. During the search, they used shouts and the flashing of high-powered lights to try to get Lei Shanshan’s attention and determine her approximate location.
At around midnight yesterday, firefighters heard a response coming from the pitch-dark mountains. Based on the direction of the sound, they initially determined that Lei Shanshan might be trapped on the opposite peak. At around 4 a.m. yesterday, the rescuers arrived at the foot of the fifth peak. By shouting toward the mountaintop and using high-powered lights to send signals, they finally confirmed that Lei Shanshan was trapped at the summit.
The firefighters found this peak to have steep sides on all four faces, with bare cliffs on the east and south, and dense tree cover on the west and north. The straight-line distance from the halfway point up the mountain to the summit was about 70 meters. However, with the equipment they had, the firefighters could only reach the halfway point, and the remaining 70 meters from there to the summit were sheer cliffs—impassable for rescuers, and too dangerous for an unaided climb. The rescue operation was extremely challenging.
To rescue Lei Shanshan as quickly as possible, firefighters made five attempts to climb up and rescue her, but due to insufficient nighttime visibility and the high difficulty of the task, they were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Lei Shanshan’s emotional state was highly unstable. Having been trapped on the mountain for over 20 hours, she was already suffering from hunger and cold. To keep her calm while waiting for rescue, the firefighters continued searching for an accessible route up the mountain while also coordinating with other professional rescue teams.
At 4:20 p.m. yesterday, rescuers climbed up the cliffs by hand and established two anchor points. At 5:05 p.m., after relentless effort, one rescuer reached the mountaintop and rendezvoused with Lei Shanshan, establishing a third anchor point. With this, the full rescue route was secured.
At 5:15 p.m. yesterday, rescuers used ropes to lower the trapped individual down from the mountaintop via the three anchor points. Firefighters found Lei Shanshan conscious and without any physical injuries. At 6:30 p.m., rescuers finally escorted her safely down the mountain. It is understood that during this rescue operation, over 300 meters of rescue ropes were deployed, marking the first time in 37 years that anyone had reached the summit of Wufeng Mountain.