Rescuers dig hole in blocked tunnel to save hikers in Taiwan

在台灣，救援人員為了救登山客，在堵塞的隧道中挖掘通道

Hikers go off-course from planned route, face hiking ban, fines


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After going off course while hiking in Taroko National Park, a group of hikers found themselves trapped in a mountain, requiring rescuers to dig a hole in a blocked tunnel to save them on Saturday (Nov. 27).

CNA reported that while the four hikers from Kaohsiung applied to climb Qilai Mountain, they climbed over Tianchang Mountain and took the Nenggao Traverse Trail instead. When they failed to return as planned on Thursday (Nov. 25) and did not respond to contact, their families reported them missing.

After communicating with the hikers’ families, the Hualien County Fire Department confirmed that the hikers did not take the route as detailed in their application. The department formed a search and rescue team, and deduced the hikers’ current location by checking their telecommunication records.

The four hikers had reached the west side of the Tianchang Tunnel only to find it blocked by falling rocks, according to CNA. As two of the hikers were too weak to keep traveling, their companions left all food with them and proceeded toward an area with reception to wait for help.

The fire department hired an indigenous hunter from the Dowmung Tribe to lead a team of rescuers into the mountain, digging a hole in the tunnel wide enough to allow a person through to reach the two hikers who were left behind.

As the actual route that the group took did not match what was stated in their hiking plan and application, the Taroko National Park Headquarters told CNA that the hikers will be banned from hiking in national parks for a year. The Hualien Fire Department said the four also violated local hiking regulations, and face fines between NT$10,000 (US$360.35) and NT$50,000.