At around 3:30 PM on December 31, 2011, Beijing hikers You Hongyong and his brother You Hongguo were trapped in the Kumtag Desert. Starting at 11:30 PM on the same day, four rescue teams totaling more than 100 personnel launched a search and rescue operation in the sand sea, eventually saving the two hikers.
At 1:00 PM on December 31, 2011, Beijing hikers You Hongyong and You Hongguo set out on foot from the Sand Mountain Park in Shanshan County into the Kumtag Desert. They planned to head west directly into the heart of the desert, then return via Lukchun Town. Normally, setting off at 1:00 PM would allow them to return by 10:00 PM, but by 11:00 PM they still had not exited the desert. At that point, temperatures in the desert had dropped as low as -16°C, and while trying to keep warm by making a fire, You Hongguo suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and was in critical condition. You Hongyong quickly called 110 for help.
After receiving the emergency call, the 110 Command Center promptly established a search and rescue center and maintained contact with the trapped individuals, using fireworks and phone communication to guide them. Meanwhile, they used phone triangulation to pinpoint their location. The Search and Rescue Center also quickly assembled two joint rescue teams composed of police, firefighters, armed police, and SWAT officers. These teams set out at 1:30 AM on New Year’s Day from both the north and south sides of the Sand Mountain Park to enter the desert for the rescue. At every high point, fireworks were launched to direct the trapped hikers.
The Search and Rescue Center also called in experts from the Shanshan County People's Hospital, who provided phone-based treatment for You Hongguo, who had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. After efforts were made, at 2:15 AM, the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning in You Hongguo were alleviated.
By 3:00 AM on January 1st, the searching officers had returned to the forward command post at Sand Mountain Park in Shanshan County. According to the firefighters, no trace of the hikers had been found along the way, and the two missing individuals were likely lost about five kilometers from the command post. What worried the rescuers most was that the hikers were wearing thin clothing, had little food, and the desert night temperatures were below -10°C.
At 3:20 AM on January 1st, Li Dong, head of the Turpan Regional Public Security Fire Brigade, and Qu Baoliang, director of the Operations Center, led a full-duty command team of two vehicles and eight people to the rescue site to provide reinforcements. They brought GPS locators, satellite phones, and other rescue equipment, and participated in directing the on-site rescue. Under the command of Captain Li Dong, a team of 15 personnel consisting of firefighters, police officers, and community defense members entered the desert from Sand Mountain Park in Shanshan County. Another outdoor rescue team of 12 members entered the desert from Lukchun Town. The rescue team members carried GPS locators, satellite phones, headlamps, walkie-talkies, and other equipment, and set out at 3:50 AM.
At 4:20 AM, good news came from deep within the Sand Mountain Park—the rescuers had found the two missing hikers. The command center quickly dispatched two desert off-road vehicles to retrieve them. The older brother, You Hongyong, had been frostbitten due to the extreme cold and was immediately sent to Shanshan County People's Hospital for treatment.
On January 3, reporters from Xinjiang Metropolis Daily learned that the two hikers were currently being treated at Shanshan County People's Hospital and were out of life-threatening danger.
