Rescuers struggled through difficulties and took over two hours to finally carry the injured man down the mountain. He is now out of life-threatening danger.
At around noon on March 28, a dramatic scene unfolded at the summit of Yangtou Mountain in Jinan.
A hiking enthusiast was just about to reach the summit of Yangtou Mountain when he slipped at that moment and accidentally fell off the cliff. Below the 400-meter-high mountain was a dense forest, and the man fell onto a cliff where tree branches stopped his fall, leaving him trapped halfway up the mountain. At around 12:10 on the 28th, after receiving an alert from fellow hikers, police joined forces with firefighters to rescue the trapped man.
A Moment of Terror
Fell 400 Meters, Man’s Fate Unknown
At around 12:10, near Yangtou Mountain, which is about 400 meters high on the southeastern side of Thousand Buddha Mountain, several hikers and forestry workers witnessed a dramatic scene: a man suddenly fell from near the top of the mountain, and his condition was unknown.
According to one hiker, on the morning of the 28th, a man climbed from the northern side of Fohui Mountain, reached the Buddha niche, then headed east toward Yangtou Mountain. Just as he was about to reach the bare stone platform at the summit, an accident happened—the man suddenly fell, dropping 15 meters before landing on a cliff and rolling to one side. “We were at the foot of the mountain when we suddenly heard someone shout and saw a person falling from the mountain. After that, we couldn’t see him anymore. He fell about the height of four floors,” one hiker said.
Branches Saved His Life
Fell 15 Meters, Saved by Tree Branches on Cliff
According to hikers, the man fell onto a cliff on the mountainside from the mountaintop, and tree branches and scattered wood beside the cliff wall happened to stop his fall. After discovering the man had fallen, hikers quickly called the police. Around 12:30, police arrived at the scene to carry out the rescue. “When we saw someone fall from the mountaintop, we were all shocked. It’s a mountain hundreds of meters high—we thought this person wouldn’t survive.” The hiker who made the report later also arrived at the rescue site and saw that the man had fallen onto a small protruding slope, next to a ring of tree branches. “If it weren’t for these small branches, the person would have rolled all the way down the cliff. It’s 400 meters high—there’s no way he could have survived. When he recovers, he really ought to thank these life-saving branches!” said a tourist walking down from Yangtou Mountain.
Around 14:00, reporters saw three fire trucks parked at the foot of Fohui Mountain on the southern side of Tourism Road. Police, firefighters, and medical personnel had all arrived at the scene. Since the injured person was near the mountaintop, vehicles could only park at the foot of the mountain, and some staff waited at the bottom for the ambulance.
Intense Rescue Efforts
Took a 1000-Meter Detour to Find Man on 3-Square-Meter Cliff
It is understood that the Second Squadron of the Patrol Police Brigade of Lixia Branch of Jinan Public Security Bureau received the call at around 12:10, and 11 staff members quickly rushed to the scene for the rescue; the Kaiyuan Squadron of the Lixia District Fire Brigade of Jinan City received the call at 13:20 and dispatched seven firefighters to urgently climb the mountain.
Difficulty Climbing: To Reach Yangtou Mountain, You Must First Walk a Kilometer Detour
It is understood that there is no direct access to Yangtou Mountain, so about 20 police, firefighters, and medical personnel had to take a detour from the adjacent Fohui Mountain to reach Yangtou Mountain. Although Fohui Mountain has mountain paths, they are quite steep and narrow.
After taking a detour of a kilometer along the mountain path and climbing the more than 400-meter-high Yangtou Mountain, the rescuers ran all the way and found the man’s trapped location in less than 30 minutes.
At around 13:00, rescuers found the fallen man on a 3-square-meter cliff halfway up the mountain. The man’s head was bleeding, and he was crying out in pain, even attempting to sit up himself, but was stopped by medical personnel: “Don’t move, or you might lose your leg!”
Difficulty Rescuing: Man Trapped on a 3-Square-Meter Cliff, Hard to Carry onto Stretcher
Because the injured man was in a very narrow and steep position, only about 3 square meters, a stretcher could not be placed. Rescuers carefully approached the man from both the upper and lower sides of the slope and tied him onto a stretcher using safety ropes.
While rescuers were discussing how to move the man, several hikers also joined the rescue. More than ten rescuers and hikers worked together to move him to a relatively flat spot.
Subsequently, medical personnel performed hemostasis and bandaging on the injured man’s head and immobilized his leg and waist.
Difficulty Descending: Rugged Mountain Path, Took Eight Breaks to Carry Injured Down
After bandaging the man, the rescuers prepared to carry him down the mountain on a stretcher. At this point, two opinions emerged among the rescuers: one believed they should return the same way via Fohui Mountain. Though the route was longer, it was relatively flat; the other believed they should descend from the western side of Yangtou Mountain to save time.
In the end, rescuers chose to descend from the western side of Yangtou Mountain, where the mountain path was narrow, with a width of only about 50 centimeters.
Due to the man’s serious injuries and the rugged mountain path, the rescuers carrying the injured were extremely careful. Although the stretcher-bearers were all strong young men, because it took a long time, they rested eight times before finally getting the injured man down the mountain.
At around 14:30, rescuers finally carried the injured man down the mountain and sent him to an ambulance waiting at the foot of the mountain, which then rushed him to Qianfoshan Hospital for treatment.
The injury is serious
Multiple injuries to the head, waist, and legs
Around 14:50 on the 28th, reporters arrived at the emergency room of Qianfo Mountain Hospital. By that time, the man who had fallen down the mountain had already been taken to the resuscitation area in Zone A. At around 15:10, the injured man was carried out of the resuscitation area and taken to the CT room for examination. Blood from his head had covered his entire face, and during treatment, he kept letting out painful groans. According to initial diagnosis, he had serious injuries to his waist and a fracture in his left leg, but fortunately, he was largely conscious.
In the emergency hall of Qianfo Mountain Hospital, reporters saw a young firefighter who had been carrying the stretcher at the front. His entire uniform was soaked, and sweat poured down his head as if he had just been washed. After briefing the medical staff on the victim’s condition, the young man ran out of the hospital. When asked for his name, he did not respond.
Around 17:00, reporters learned that the injured man surnamed Yang was out of immediate life-threatening danger. His main injury was a femoral neck fracture, which required further surgical treatment.
[Rescue Progress]
12:10
The man fell from near the summit of Yangtou Mountain, and his condition was unknown.
12:30
Police arrived at the scene and began rescue efforts for the man who had fallen off the cliff.
13:00
Rescue personnel found the fallen man on a 3-square-meter rocky ledge halfway up the mountain.
13:20
Firefighters were alerted and headed up the mountain.
14:30
Rescue workers carried the injured man down the mountain and transported him to an ambulance that had been waiting at the base.
14:50
The man who fell down the mountain had been taken to the resuscitation room at Qianfo Mountain Hospital.
[Related Links]
People Have Fallen from Qianfo Mountain Before
In August 2009, a young tourist accidentally fell from the summit of Qianfo Mountain, sustaining a head injury and a patellar fracture. Unable to move, the victim was eventually rescued by concerned citizens, firefighters, and 120 emergency services and taken to the hospital.
In November 2011, a senior citizen over 60 years old accidentally fell from a two-meter-high rock while exercising at the summit of Qianfo Mountain. He immediately lost consciousness but was later rescued down the mountain by fellow morning exercisers and 120 medical personnel.