The day before, firefighters climbed Beijing's Jiankou Great Wall with rescue gear to save an injured female hiker. Photo courtesy of the fire department
New Beijing News (Reporter Zhan Minghui) At around 8 a.m. the day before, in Yanqi Lake Town, Huairou District, more than 30 hikers from Shandong were climbing the famous wild Jiankou Great Wall when one female hiker fell from a watchtower, sustaining multiple injuries and getting trapped. Amid the treacherous terrain, the arriving firefighters ingeniously used ropes to create a zip line over ten meters long to rescue the injured hiker.
Female hiker falls from watchtower, knocking down companion
At around 5 a.m. the day before, more than 30 hikers from Shandong arrived at Xizhazi Village in Yanqi Lake Town and began climbing the wild Great Wall in groups. According to the fire department, three hours later, they received an alarm reporting that a hiker had fallen from a height, was immobile, and needed rescue.
Upon arrival, firefighters learned that the hikers had little climbing experience and had come specifically because they had heard of the beautiful scenery of Jiankou Great Wall. They were unaware that this section of the wall is extremely perilous and has been one of the most accident-prone outdoor spots in Beijing in recent years. At the time of the incident, as the group moved from the mountain base to a watchtower about a hundred meters up, one female hiker slipped and fell. Fortunately, after rolling several meters, she landed on two companions and came to a stop.
With injuries to her head, shoulder, and wrist from hitting rocks, the woman was in severe pain. Her companions, who had limited equipment and no other options, could only tend to her on site and call for help.
Ladder-like danger spot adds to rescue difficulty
At around 10 a.m. the day before, guided by villagers, firefighters made their way through thorny bushes and finally reached the accident site. After giving the injured hiker basic first aid, rescuers secured her to a stretcher and slowly carried her down the mountain.
"The watchtower at the scene was badly damaged, with remaining steps that were steep and uneven—extremely dangerous. It's a well-known 'ladder' type danger spot," said a firefighter. After assessing the situation, they abandoned the plan to return the same way and instead chose a safer route down the mountain.
Firefighters create zip line to rescue hiker from danger
Later, another dangerous situation arose—the steps under the rescuers were less than 10 cm wide, barely allowing one person to crawl through using hands and feet, making it impossible to get the stretcher through.
To get the injured hiker to safety as quickly as possible, the soldiers quickly came up with a solution. Several of them crawled past the hazardous area first, then worked with others above to rig a zip line using multiple ropes. They carefully lowered the stretcher along the zip line.
After more than ten minutes of effort, the injured hiker was safely brought to a flat path and eventually taken down the mountain for medical treatment.
The fire department reminds the public that this year, there have already been four incidents of hikers getting lost, trapped, or injured on Jiankou Great Wall. As summer approaches, many tourists venture onto the wild Great Wall every weekend and holiday. The public is advised to choose developed sections such as Mutianyu and avoid climbing wild parts of the Great Wall.