Hiker in south Taiwan rescued after 4 nights alone on mountain

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A rescue party was dispatched to the mountain range dividing Kaohsiung and Taitung on Friday in search of a missing hiker, reportedly left alone on the mountain for over four days.

The hiker, a 51-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), was found shortly after 6 p.m. by search and rescue personnel dispatched from Taitung. Although she was suffering from muscle weakness and a chill, she was in stable condition, and was ready to be escorted down the mountain the following morning.

The woman reportedly hiked up the mountain with a group of seven other people on Dec. 28, with plans to reach the summit of Beinan Mountain and descend together on Dec. 30. However, Huang began suffering from altitude sickness and was unable to make the climb down.

Other members of the hiking group, which was organized through a messenger app, left food and water with Huang and decided to hike down the mountain without her. Two nights passed with no word from Huang before a member of the group reported her as a missing person on the morning of Jan. 1. 

Police were shocked that the hiking group members waited so long to report the situation. Also, weather conditions reportedly prevented rescue parties from being dispatched earlier.

Members of the hiking group last saw Huang at an elevation of approximately 3,000 meters above sea level, where temperatures reached 0 C overnight. 

Although rescuers were initially worried about the danger of hypothermia, other hikers reported to the search party that they had passed Huang on Friday morning and that she seemed to be alright.