A French couple who were rescued after going missing during a climb in Pingtung County late last month face fines after it was determined they did not apply for a mountainous area entry permit or have travel insurance, the county’s Bureau of Fire and Emergency Services said on Friday.
The couple, a 38-year-old man and his 30-year-old girlfriend, began their climb on a trail in Wutou Mountain (霧頭山) in Wutai Township (霧台) on Nov. 23. They were reported missing by friends after three days.
According to fire bureau chief Lee Pin-cheng (李彬正), the last location where the couple were reported was on the border of Wutou and Beidawu (北大武山) mountains.
Photo courtesy of Pingtung Bureau of Fire and Emergency Services via CNA
After a three-day search and rescue operation, the couple were finally found in the mountainous areas surrounding South Ailiao River (隘寮南溪) on Beidawu Mountain on Tuesday last week, the bureau said.
The couple were slightly injured and later taken to Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital for treatment, after which they returned to their residence in Taiwan.
According to the bureau, its investigation determined that the couple violated Pingtung’s mountainous area entry regulations by not applying for entry permits and could face a fine of between NT$6,000 and NT$30,000 (US$190.62 and US$953.13).
In addition, as the couple climbed without purchasing travel insurance covering mountain climbing and the cost of any rescue, they could also face a fine of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, it said.
Due to the complicated mountain topography, the search and rescue operation was highly difficult, taking 25 rescue personnel about three days to find the couple.
Along the way, there was no signal, water or proper trails for rescue personnel to follow, and several rescue team members were injured during the mission, it said.
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