Firefighters in rescue efforts
On the morning of the 31st, a man came to Mufu Mountain in Xiaguan, Nanjing, to go rock climbing. During the climb, he unfortunately got trapped on a cliff and shouted for help for several hours before someone heard him and called the police. Police from 110 and firefighters from 119 quickly arrived at the scene and launched a rescue operation. After nearly three hours of intense rescue efforts, the man was finally saved. It is understood that the man is an outdoor enthusiast from Nanjing who loves photography. At the time of his rescue, he had been trapped on a cliff over 100 meters high for 6 hours.
Someone shouting for help on a hundred-meter cliff
Mr. Zhang, a resident who lives at the foot of Mufu Mountain in Xiaguan, often likes to stroll to the mountaintop when he has free time. Around 12 noon on the 31st, he was halfway up a peak near Wumadu enjoying the view. He faintly heard someone shouting for help in the mountains — a hoarse, urgent cry. Mr. Zhang looked around but couldn’t see anyone, and the shouting stopped. Thinking it was his imagination, he was about to leave when the cry came again, this time from deep within the mountain. He followed the sound and eventually spotted a man clinging to a cliff face, carrying a backpack, unable to climb up or down.
“That spot was about 20 meters from the top, extremely steep, just wide enough to stand in, but you could easily slip and fall. The consequences would be unthinkable if he fell,” Mr. Zhang said. He asked, “What’s wrong?” The man, seemingly seeing a savior, frantically waved his arms and said he had come to rock climb but got stuck and begged Mr. Zhang to save him quickly. The spot was so dangerous that Mr. Zhang said just looking at it made him dizzy — let alone attempting a rescue. So he immediately called the police.
It is understood that there were many other tourists on Mufu Mountain at the time, and some of them also called the police. After receiving the reports, Xiaguan police quickly rushed to Mufu Mountain. After navigating the complicated mountain paths, they finally located the caller. Led by the caller, the police climbed up the southern slope to the mountaintop to prepare for the rescue.
Firefighters use ropes to perform overhead rescue
At the top of the cliff, the 110 police officers saw the trapped man, around 40 years old, dressed in ordinary clothing. The man said he loved rock climbing and, seeing the steep and rugged cliff face, felt compelled to conquer it, so he climbed up alone. However, the cliff proved steeper than he expected. Just as he was about to reach the top, he couldn’t go any further, and trying to climb down was even harder. Left with no choice, he had to stabilize himself and wait for rescue.
Because the cliff was covered with loose rocks and bushes, the climber hadn’t brought any ropes or climbing gear. After careful consideration, the police immediately contacted 119 for backup. Some people at the scene speculated that the police might need to use a helicopter for the rescue.
Around 1 pm, the firefighters arrived at the scene. After assessing the terrain, they also concluded that the cliff was too steep and the rescue very difficult. After discussion, they decided that lowering ropes down the cliff would be the safest approach. The police split into two teams: one team stayed at the mountaintop, using ropes to slowly lower two firefighters, while another team positioned themselves at the base of the cliff as a precaution.
Around 3 pm, the two firefighters had reached the halfway point of the mountain, about 20 meters from the trapped man. They took a short rest to recover their strength before continuing to get closer. At this point, the trapped man said he could try to climb up, but it was too dangerous and he didn’t dare to move.
Around 3:25 pm, after the firefighters got closer to the man, they threw him a rope and told him to secure it around himself. Perhaps feeling safer with the safety rope and the rescuers nearby, the man began to climb upward.
Around 4 pm, with the help of the rescuers, the climber struggled upward with agile movements and finally reached the mountaintop. He breathed a long sigh of relief, collapsed onto the ground, and repeatedly thanked the police and firefighters for saving his life. He was then taken to a police station at the foot of the mountain to register.
Weathered cliffs on Mufu Mountain are unsuitable for rock climbing
It is understood that the climber, surnamed Wei, lives near Gongnong New Village in Nanjing. Wei said he often hikes and has previous rock climbing experience, having successfully summited before. This time, he went to Mufu Mountain for photography. He started climbing early in the morning and, on a whim, decided to climb without equipment. The cliff faces the Yangtze River and has nice scenery — he thought he could capture some unique views. Things started off well, but halfway up, he began to feel unwell due to the strong wind and cold temperatures. Poor energy management meant that although he was close to the top, he no longer had the strength to continue. After shouting for help for hours with no response, he almost broke down. It wasn’t until the police arrived that he was saved from a dire situation.
Seeing Wei being rescued, Mr. Zhang also felt relieved. Speaking about rock climbing, he said that Mufu Mountain has beautiful scenery, especially the cliffs facing the Yangtze River, which attract adventurers. However, these cliffs have undergone long-term weathering and are covered with loose rocks, some of which are unstable and prone to rolling down. They are not suitable for climbing, and climbing alone is even more dangerous. Without timely rescue in case of an accident, the consequences could be disastrous. Wei was trapped at a height of nearly 200 meters above the base of the cliff and was rescued after 6 hours — which is considered lucky. He hopes other climbing enthusiasts will learn from this incident and avoid reckless climbs.