Elderly man rescued from cliff after being lost 8 days in wilderness in Hsinchu, Taiwan
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/21
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
(Photo from Facebook group 台灣磐石救難隊-後援會)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An elderly man was rescued from the side of a cliff last week after being lost in the mountains for eight days in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County and surviving only on water.
In an effort to gather medicinal herbs for his cancer-stricken brother, a 62-year-old man surnamed Song (宋), who is a resident of New Taipei City’s Xindian District, set out on a trek in a deep mountain area in Hsinchu’s Jianshi Township on May 5. Song originally had planned to spend two days and one night in the mountainous area, but because there was no sign of him by May 8, family members became worried and alerted authorities that he was missing, reported ETtoday.
After searching for Song for four days, search and rescue workers finally found him trapped on the side of a three-story-high cliff on May 12, according to the report. Because a helicopter was unable to safely approach his position, rescuers had to rappel down to him and slowly lower him to safety by rope.
Over the eight days Song was trapped on the cliff, he had nothing to eat and only had water to sustain himself. When rescuers found him, he was very weak, and needed assistance walking after being rescued. [FULL STORY]
