Taiwanese man in critical condition after falling into ravine at Great Ghost Lake

台灣男子登大鬼湖時墜山溝命危

In separate incident, man dies while attempting to climb Snow Mountain's West Ridge


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A hiker was in critical condition after falling into a ravine while climbing Great Ghost Lake in Pingtung County, CNA reported.

Great Ghost Lake, with an elevation of 2,200 meters above sea level, is located at the border of Pingtung County’s Wutai Township, Kaohsiung City’s Maolin District, and Taitung County’s Yanping Township. The lake is sacred to the Rukai tribe.

Pingtung County’s Bureau of Fire and Emergency Services said it received reports of the incident at about 6 a.m. on Monday (Oct. 11). The reports said that two members of a group of 20 hikers had fallen into a ravine and been pulled out by their teammates. One person sustained severe injuries and the other moderate ones.

Upon receiving the reports, the bureau dispatched 10 vehicles and 30 firefighters, including 11 volunteers, for the rescue operation. They set out for the scene of the accident around noon.

As Tropical Storm Kompasu is affecting Taiwan, the rescue team estimated they would need an additional two days to reach the site.

The distressed hiking group had begun climbing from Sandimen Township on Saturday morning and had planned to end their trip in Chihpen, Taitung County on Monday.

In a separate incident, a 34-year-old man surnamed Ding (丁), who was on a five-day group trip to climb Snow Mountain’s West Ridge, died on Sunday after falling off a cliff on a forest road.

Taichung City and Miaoli County rescuers retrieved the body and transported it to a funeral parlor in Taichung.