At 1 a.m. on the 15th, the body of a deceased hiker was carried out of Qingyin Gully to Shengshuiyu Village, Han Cunhe Town, Fangshan District. While trying to check on his fallen companion, this hiker fell to his death while climbing down to the cliff bottom. His companion, however, luckily landed on soft sheep dung and survived.
Trapped hiker found within two hours
After the incident, Fangshan police and the Blue Sky Rescue Team (Weibo) participated in the rescue operation. Wu Jihai, the rear commander of the Blue Sky Rescue Team, told reporters that the two hikers met online and were both locals from Fangshan. The deceased hiker, 55 years old, was a factory worker, while the injured one was a politics teacher.
It is understood that the two started hiking at 7 a.m. on the 13th, carrying only a small amount of food and planning to return the same day. But by evening, there was no sign of them, and their phones were turned off. Their families then called for rescue. The rescue team arrived at the scene at 4 p.m. on the 14th and found the two trapped individuals around 6 p.m.
Sheep dung saves hiker’s life
According to the injured hiker, they began descending the mountain around 6 p.m. on the 13th. It was already dark when, at the accident site, he accidentally fell off the cliff. The cliff was about 10 meters high, almost vertical and extremely steep. Thinking he wouldn’t survive, he happened to land near a sheep pen and fortunately fell onto sheep dung, which saved his life.
After the injured hiker fell, his companion, eager to help, tried to climb down to check on him but accidentally fell midway. Unfortunately, the companion landed on a pile of rocks and died from head injuries. It is understood that the two hikers did not have much mountaineering experience, with less than a year of hiking history.
According to rescuers, the two hikers had walked about 20 kilometers that day and fell at the last tricky part of the descent. It was already dark when they were coming down, and eager to get home, they were not very familiar with the mountain path, which led to this tragedy.
Rescued 30 hours after the accident
After finding the injured hiker, rescuers waited with him for the police and an ambulance to arrive. Due to the severity of his injuries, the rescue team could only move him slowly. After a four-hour journey, the injured hiker was finally rescued from the trapped valley around 11 p.m. the previous night. Seeing their family member safe, the injured hiker’s family breathed a sigh of relief. He was then sent to the hospital for treatment.
The injured hiker’s companion was confirmed dead by emergency personnel. The rugged mountain path made the journey difficult, and at 1 a.m. yesterday, the deceased’s body was carried out of the valley, with rescuers completely soaked. The family, who had been waiting for a long time, burst into tears on the spot, overcome with grief. By then, 30 hours had passed since the accident.
Rescuers reminded the public that this serious outdoor sports accident serves as another warning to hikers: try to avoid unfamiliar mountainous areas, and when planning a hike, always consider time factors, descend early, and avoid traveling in the dark.