After being stranded in the mountains near Hualien since Tuesday, six National Taiwan University students were transported to safety by a Sea Gull Helicopter Rescue Team early yesterday morning.
The group lost a teammate, however, who died of high-altitude sickness late Wednesday night, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.
PHOTO: WU SHIH-TSUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Wang Shun-hung (王舜弘), 26, experiencing nausea, gradually lost consciousness on Tuesday when the group entered the Wuming (無名) mountain area, part of Hualien's Taroko Gorge (太魯閣) National Park.
Hikers become more prone to high-altitude sickness as elevation increases due to the severe lack of oxygen, which can result in loss of consciousness, circulatory or respiratory problems, and even death.
With Wang feeling ill, the teammates camped near Wuming Pond (
The helicopter rescue team attempted to reach them several times but was unable to do so due to poor weather conditions. The team faced clouds, fog, wind and torrential rain.
As the weather improved yesterday morning, a helicopter transported the students -- along with a nine-member ground-rescue team which arrived at the pond on Thursday -- to the Chiayi Veterans Hospital (嘉義榮民醫院). Medical experts examined Wang's body before sending it to his family in Tainan.
The other six students, in good health, left the hospital and took trains back to Taipei. The students refused to comment on the incident, according to the reports.
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