A hiker who went missing 10 days ago while hiking in the mountains in Pingtung County was found alive by rescuers yesterday, the county’s fire department said.
Yang Hsin-cheng (楊欣正), 52, was found by private rescuers lying on a riverbank near the Knifetail River Waterfall in rural Laiyi Township (來義) yesterday morning, the fire department said in a statement.
He was found conscious, and had a wound on his head, but it was not life-threatening, the department said, adding that the rescuers were preparing to evacuate him.
Photo courtesy of the Pingtung County Bureau of Fire and Emergency Services via CNA
Meanwhile, the National Fire Agency had dispatched a helicopter to airlift Yang to Pingtung Christian Hospital.
After being rescued, Yang said that he had not eaten for 10 days, and survived by drinking water and his own urine.
Yang said he thought about giving up several times, but kept going by chanting Buddhist mantras.
Yang’s better-than-average physical condition helped him survive, said Chen Chih-wen (陳志文), head of the hospital’s emergency room.
Yang, the deputy superintendent of Ping An Psychiatric Hospital, was reported missing on the afternoon of June 6 by those who were hiking with him to Peng Chi Mountain (棚集山).
Yang was separated from the other 14 hikers in the group halfway through the hike.
The other hikers called the fire department after they could not find him by the end of the excursion.
A close friend of Yang, Pingtung County Councilor Cheng Ching-yuan (鄭清原), offered an NT$2 million (US$67,331) reward to anyone who found Yang, dead or alive.
The fire department and private rescuers searched for him several times, but their efforts were hindered by the poor condition of the mountain trails after several days of rain.
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