"Come and save us, we're trapped in the deep mountains, there's a pond nearby."
At around 6 pm on the 13th, the Cihé Police Station in Gucheng received an emergency call: 15 hikers were trapped in the deep mountains, in a critical situation. In the darkness, police officers launched a search and rescue operation in the mountains. The rescue process was full of twists and turns, but at 4 am yesterday, all 15 people safely walked out of the mountains. Hong...
Flooded Paths and Lost in the Mountains – 15 People Stranded
Located in Cihé Town, Gucheng County, Mount Wuduo is a scenic spot and a great destination for tourism. At 10 am on the 13th, 15 employees from the Wanshan Branch of the City Central Hospital arrived at the foot of Mount Wuduo, planning to hike up the mountain.
After walking for over 20 minutes, the group reached the base of the first mountain and began climbing toward the summit along a narrow mountain path. Along the way, they were captivated by the beautiful scenery and forgot their fatigue. Around noon, light rain began to fall, but no one stopped — they continued to climb over one peak after another.
By around 3 pm, unknowingly, the group had already crossed five peaks and arrived at a mountain stream about one meter wide. At this point, the rain grew heavier. "Should we go left or right? Which way leads out?" The group grew panicked.
It turned out that the path leading out of the mountain was right next to the stream, but due to the rain, the water had risen and flooded the exit. The group lost their sense of direction. After searching around the stream for more than two hours, they still couldn’t figure out where they were. "We’re lost," someone in the crowd said.
The area was surrounded by dense forests with no caves to take shelter in, so they had to rest on a flat piece of land and call for help.
It was already around 6 pm, and the sky gradually darkened. Among the group, only two people had phone signals. One of them successfully called for help, and they began waiting for rescue.
Holding Out for 9 Hours – Huddling Around a Fire for Warmth
At 6:30 pm, drenched and shivering, the group had trouble finding dry firewood, so they used their clothes to dry damp branches. Dr. Zhou, one of the hikers, had a flash of inspiration. He used a lighter to ignite a mineral water bottle and some napkins, which then set the firewood ablaze. With the fire going, everyone calmed down a bit.
By 7 pm, the mountains were pitch black. Cold, hunger, and fear plagued them. They huddled together around the fire for warmth.
Around 8 pm, four women began to show signs of physical exhaustion, experiencing symptoms like dizziness. One woman said, "If I die, I hope my grandmother can raise my son for me."
Some began to lose hope, but the men quickly comforted them. They tied ropes together to make “stools” for the four women to sit on.
At around 10 pm, the rescuing police officers finally got in touch with them, giving them hope. The officers said over the phone, "If you see a light, respond quickly so we can confirm your location." From that moment on, the men kept a close watch on their surroundings.
Dr. Zhou and several of the stronger men reminded the women to speak less to conserve energy. They also took turns telling short stories to ease everyone’s anxiety.
At around 3 am yesterday, a beam of light flashed through the woods, and shouts of searchers could be heard. "Someone’s coming, we’re saved!” the group cried with joy.
At 4 am, they walked out of the mountains and were picked up by a vehicle sent by the City Central Hospital. Finally, everyone was safe.
Police Searched 30 Kilometers – Hikers Rescued Successfully
The rescue process was full of ups and downs. Yesterday, Liang Hong, the chief of the Cihé Town Police Station, recounted the rescue. At 6 pm, upon receiving the emergency call, Liang Hong and his colleagues rushed to Mount Wuduo by car. On the way, he called Qi Daoming, a village official in Shizui Village: "There are people trapped in the mountains. Call some people to come help and wait for me at the foot of the mountain."
After hanging up, he called back the person who made the initial report. A muffled voice came through: "There’s a pond near where we’re trapped." Once they reached the foot of the mountain, the group seized this clue and began formulating a rescue plan. "There are two ponds on Mount Wuduo, we’ll search them one by one."
At 7:30 pm, after searching both ponds, they still hadn’t found anyone. Liang Hong took out his phone to call the person who reported the incident, but there was no signal in the mountains. They had to withdraw from the forest. Once they had a signal again, Liang Hong contacted the trapped group. "We can’t find you. What other distinctive landmarks are nearby?" "There’s an earthen wall," someone replied. By this time, firefighters had also arrived. The group discussed again and pinpointed the trapped group’s location: they had already walked out of Gucheng and were stranded near Yujiagou in Gulipíng, Jiuzhǐ, Nanzhang.
At 10:30 pm on the 13th, Liang Hong and two others walked along a path toward Gulipíng. However, the path was blocked by coal waste from a coal mine. The coal waste pile was 10 meters high, but they braced themselves and began climbing. It took them over an hour just to climb over this hill.
After hiking over 30 kilometers and spending nine hours in the search, they finally found the trapped hikers. Liang Hong and the team breathed a sigh of relief, only then noticing a dull pain in their hands — when they looked down, their hands were injured and covered in blood.